Lucca Travel Guide   by Giuseppe Longo
 

Introduction 

Lucca is a city in Tuscany, situated on the river Serchio in a fertile plain near (but not on) the Ligurian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Lucca. Lucca is located 30 kilometers northeast of the Pisa airport and 85 kilometers west of Florence in Northern Tuscany. To the north of Lucca lie the Apuane Alps with their famous marble quarries, spas and mineral water springs, streams, woods and caves. Lucca is a wonderful little city with much to admire. One of Italy's finest mediaeval treasures, the centre is relatively unspoilt and is sprinkled with palazzi, towers and almost countless splendid churches. The surrounding hills produce some excellent wines and arguably the finest olive oil anywhere. The architecture in the old city is a combination of Gothic and Romanesque, with lovely streets well laid out, and houses often painted in pastels of blue, yellow and pink.

Arrival:

Plane

The nearest airports to Lucca are Pisa International Airport Galileo Galilei and Florence International Airport Amerigo Vespucci. just outside the airport you will notice a little train station: every twenty minutes a train leaves in order to connect Pisa Airport to Pisa Central Station where you will find train coincidences to Lucca Station. Another way to get to Lucca is to take an interurban bus of the Autolinee Lazzi leaving just outside the airport. The journey will take approximately one hour and you can check the schedule visiting the page: Pisa Airport - Lucca airport by bus. From Florence Airport to Lucca take a city line bus to the Train Station of Santa Maria Novella, in order to take a train coincidence to Lucca. There is a bus leaving every 30 minutes just outside the airport and you can get more information at the following websites: www.ataf.net or www.sita-on-line.it. The whole journey (bus+train) will take approximately two hours. The second alternative to get to Lucca is to take an interurban bus of the Autolinee Lazzi; there is a dedicated bus stop immediately nearby the airport and you can visualize the schedule of the connections on the following website: www.lazzi.it. The journey will take approximately one hour and forty-five minutes.

Train

Lucca is on the Florence-Viareggio train line, with frequent service to Florence. It takes 70 minutes to an hour and a half to go from Lucca to Florence. Lucca's train station is two blocks outside the ramparts (enter at Porta San Pietro) on the south side of town in Piazza Ricasoli.

Car 

Lucca is reached with the A11 and A12 autoroutes and is only 20 kilometers from the Pisa Airport.

Bus 

Buses run daily to Florence and Pisa as well, and leave from Piazza Verdi, adjacent to the tourist office.

Transport 

It is possible to park in the centre of town, but many areas are closed to non-resident traffic and you may have a long wait for a parking space. You can park in one of the free edge of town car parks on Lucca's north side and take one of the small electric buses into town. You'll find two large car parks on Via delle Tagliate (near the sports stadium) and Via del Cimitero (near the cemetery); there is also one further round the ring road towards the railway station. Bus tickets (for the navetta) may be bought at most bars or on the bus itself.

If you don't have your own mean of transportation you can rely on Clap buses (tel. 0583-5411 or 0583-587-897) or Lazzi buses (tel. 0583-584-877). Both lines are based at Piazzale Verdi. Clap is dedicated to local transportation (within Lucca province) while Lazzi destinations are inside and outside the province.

One of the best ways to see Lucca is to hire a bicycle for a few hours. All the locals use bikes to get around and there is so much to see that you'll likely find yourselves tired from walking everywhere. There are a couple of hire shops in Piazza Santa Maria on the north side of the town, and another can be found tucked behind the Roman amphitheatre.

A scenic railway line ducks in and out of tunnels alongside the Serchio River - you ride under an arch of the Devil's Bridge - and goes out onto the Lunigiana plain to Aulla, where you can change.

History and Culture

The Lucca area has been inhabited since time immemorial, first by the Ligurians, then by the Etruscans, who were followed by the Romans. By the middle of the 2nd Century BC, it was a prosperous Latin town, largely because of its location near the intersection of three major Roman highways, the Via Cassia, the Via Aurelia and the Via Clodia. Lucca's geometrical grid pattern layout dates to this period.

As the Roman empire declined, the area came under the rule of the Longobards, so-called barbarians, whose reign lasted til the 11th century, AD. Lucca became a free commune in 1162 enjoying a long period of prosperity as a banking and manufacturing center. The many splendid churches, cathedrals, towers and villas, extant even today, are testament to its economic success. Lucca's original walls and fortifications were completely renovated and improved during the 15th and 16th centuries as the town fought to retain its independence from Firenze (Florence). The walls and ramparts that were built during this period are those that the modern traveler sees encircling the old town.

In 1799 Lucca came under Napoleonic rule. Napoleon appointed his sister, Elisa as Duchess. She and her husband were active supporters of the arts, and built many important buildings during their reign. The Piazza Napoleone is named for the Duchess. Eventually, after the Congress of Vienna, Lucca was amalgamated into the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, then of the Kingdom of Italy. In the early 19th century, when the town was annexed to Parma, the delightful, tree-lined promenade around the walls of the old town were added by the architect Lorenzo Nottolini.

On the cultural front, Lucca has made many contributions, most notably in the field of music. A singing school was founded in the town in AD 787. Luigi Bocherini, who revitalized chamber music, made his home in Lucca. So did Giacomo Puccini, composer of Madame Butterfly, Tosca, Turnadot and La Boheme.

Churches and Museums

Lucca Cathedral - Duomo di San Martino

The Cathedral was completely rebuilt between the twelfth and fifteenth centuries; in 1261 it was joined to the adjoining bell-tower, hence the unusual asymmetry of the facade and its smaller arch to the right. Some of the carving dates back to the fifth century and some work has been attributed to Nicola Pisano. The tomb of Ilaria is the work of Lucca's famous son, Matteo Civitali, and dates from the fifteenth century. The Volto Santo (Holy Face) is a wooden effigy that is said to be a true image of Christ, carved by Nicodemus at the crucifixion. Once a year the revered effigy is removed to head a procession through the streets of Lucca.

Santa Maria della Rosa 

A short distance east of the cathedral is a small low church dedicated to Santa Maria della Rosa, built against the Roman town walls in 1309 by the Università dei Mercanti. On the side wall are Gothic arcades enclosing elegant windows. On the left-hand wall of the interior are large dressed blocks of stone from the Roman walls.

San Frediano 

The Church of San Frediano, dedicated to the sixth century Bishop of Lucca of that name, was built between 1112 and 1147 on the site of the earlier eighth century church (some remains of which were brought to light in 1950). Originally the church had the usual orientation, with the chancel at the east end. In the 13th century, however, it was heightened and the facade was given another story; the baptistery and the Cappella della Santa Croce, to the right and left of the present entrance, were incorporated in the church; the apse, containing the altar, was built on to the west end so that the entrance front should not face the town walls which had by then been erected. The lower part of the facade is plain, vertically articulated by pilasters and columns.

Church of San Michele in Foro

Almost certainly the most photographed view in Lucca, the facade of San Michele in Foro is a delight. The upper section gives the impression of a propped-up film set - the windows look through onto thin air - as money ran out before that part of the church could be raised to the level of the facade.Every single column is different; some are elaborately carved, some twisted and spiralling, others are like striped sweets.

Museo Nazionale Guinigi 

Lucca's main museum houses an interesting and varied collection of works. Inside you'll find paintings, sculptures, furniture and works of art from Lucca and its Province. There are some pieces from Roman and Etruscan times and the unusual red-brick villa often hosts special exhibitions. Via della Quarquonia. Museo del Duomo - Cathedral Museum A relatively new museum housing interesting relics of the cathedral and of Lucca. There are examples of some lavish metalwork, most notably the regalia used to adorn the Volto Santo come procession time. May be found alongside the cathedral itself.

Historical buildings and monuments 

City walls 

The historical centre of Lucca lies within a unique wall system. These walls, built of small red bricks specifically created for their construction, were many years in the making. Unusually for cities in the region, the walls around the old town were retained intact as the city expanded and modernized. As the wide walls lost their military importance, they became a pedestrian promenade ringing the old town although they were used for a number of years in the 20th century for racing cars. They are still fully intact today; each of the four principal sides is lined with a different tree species.

Casa di Puccini

This is the house where Giacomo Puccini was born in 1858. Now a small museum with portraits, scores, sketches and the Steinway piano at which Lucca's most famous son composed Turandot. Just off Piazza San Michele, on Via di Poggio.

Torre Guinigi 

Instantly recognisable as 'the tower with the tree on top', this fifteenth century 130 foot high tower may be climbed all the way to the top. The adjoining Casa Guinigi is but one of many mansions that were built by the silk trading Guinigi family, once all-powerful rulers of Lucca.

Palazzo Bernardini 

A little way east of San Cristóforo in Lucca can be seen the long three-storyed facade of the Palazzo Bernardini, built by Matteo Civitali in the early 16th century. It has a beautiful doorway and an elegant courtyard.

Roman amphitheatre 

The amphitheatre, where gladiatorial shows and games were traditionally held, was built in Lucca in the second half of the Ist century A.D.. The remains of the Roman amphitheatre are preserved, incorporated in buildings bordering the present day Piazza dell' Anfiteatro, in the northern part of the town. The elliptic shape of the piazza corresponding, to a great extent, to the area of the ancient arena.

Places of Interest 

Bagni di Lucca North of Lucca, Bagni di Lucca (150m/495ft; pop. 9,000), comprises a number of separate villages, known as early as the 10th century as the “Baths of Corsena”, with springs containing salt and sulfur (37-54 °C/99-129 °F: season May-September). The principal village is Villa, once a residence of the dukes of Lucca, with its own thermal spring. The village of Bagni Caldi is the most important spa, with a warm spring, the “Doccione” (54 °C/129 °F), in a cave.

Villas Landscape 

The Surroundings of Lucca boast an unique “Villas Landscape”. The Villas, or rather the palaces in villa, are historical country residences that the Lucchesi merchants built between the 15th and 19th centuries, investing the fruits of their business and banking activities in central Europe. More than three hundred Villas, large and small, are spread out over the arc of hills that both defines and brings to a close the geographical bounds of the Plain of Lucca. Among them: Villa Reale di Marlia, Villa Grabau, Villa Bernardini, Villa Oliva, Villa Mansi,Villa di Carmigliano.

Events Monthly Markets/fairs 

Lucca has a large antiques market (centred around Piazza San Giusto and Piazza Antelminelli) on the third Sunday (and preceding Saturday) of every month. There is also a craft fair, again in and around Piazza San Giusto, on the last Sunday (and preceding Saturday) of every month.

Mostre Delle Antiche Camelie Della Lucchesia - March

Held over three weekends during March, this well established show of Camelias is centred around the village and villas of Pieve di Compito and San Andrea di Compito, a short distance from Lucca. There is a main exhibition, special openings of villas and their gardens, plants for sale, (usually) a tea exhibition and associated displays.

Sawdust Carpets - May

Perhaps losing something in translation the “tappeti di segatura colorata” are an absolutely wonderful sight. The long central street of Camaiore is bedecked with dozens of incredibly detailed designs fabricated entirely from “sprinkled” coloured sawdust. Work starts the evening before and continues all night long, with the procession of Corpus Domini passing over (and destroying) them the next day. The Sunday of Corpus Domini and the Saturday night beforehand.

Lucca Summer Festival - July

Series of open air concerts, Lucca hosts the Lucca Summer Festival each year which, in July 2006, saw the likes of Eric Clapton, Roger Waters, Tracy Chapman and Santana play live in the Piazza Napolean.

San Paolino - July 3rd sunday of month

The festival of San Paolino sees mediaeval costumes, torchlit parades and a traditional crossbow contest. Centred around the San Paolino area in the centre of Lucca.

“Lucca September”

As Pisa is in June, so Lucca is in September - a place taken back in time with the middle-ages returned and the atmosphere one of festivity. There are special concerts, markets, shows, exhibitions and processions, with the undoubted highlight being the Luminaria di Santa Croce on the night of the 13th. The centre of Lucca is lit by torch and candlelight alone and there is an enormous procession, largely in period costume, with music, the famous flag-juggling, and the return of Lucchesi from the world over. The procession starts at the church of San Frediano (at 8.00 PM) and proceeds to the cathedral of San Martino to celebrate the Volto Santo.

Lucca Comics - October 

Every year, last weekend in October sees Lucca host an incredibly popular International Comics Fair. Artists, collectors and exhibitors from all over the world. Comics, games, simulations and very full hotels. 
 
 

About the Author:

Giuseppe Longo