Lucca
Lucca is my favourite town, a jewellery box full of gems, enclosed in its extraordinary Walls and far away from the excesses of mass tourism. The atmosphere of this impregnable “Republic of Ants” (so-called because of its much bigger neighbours) can still be felt in its streets today, whenever you stop in the amphitheatre, walk past the 14th-century Torre Guinigi, go into the Church of San Frediano with art works from every century, or say a prayer in the cathedral in front of the Volto Santo or Ilaria del Carretto sarcofago...
Lucca has so many things to offer but best of all is the surprise of discovering a little piazza, a church or palazzo round every corner. Lucca also has a wealth of fine food based on cereals, extra-virgin olive oil and local wines, that we’ll sample together.
Here are some itineraries:
The province of Lucca is rich in Renaissance villas, farmhouses producing local products for gourmands and famous towns:
- The Garfagnana and its medieval villages
- Pietrasanta and the marble tradition
- Montecarlo and its wine
- Altopascio and the Compito area
- Viareggio and the Carnival
