Enogastronomy and tastes of Tuscany : culinary vacation, cooking classes, wine & oil tours, special tastings

A beautiful little Tuscan town protected by massively thick 16th-century walls, featuring some of Italy's finest medieval and Renaissance architecture, superb dining, antique markets, classical and rock music festivals, easy access to stunning nearby villas in the surrounding hills and with endless beaches less than half an hour away. Lucca is one of Tuscany's best-kept secrets.
A wealthy and colorful town that draws a more discerning tourist than Florence or Pisa, it is sufficiently off the beaten track to have kept its civility and reserve. Lucca is a city of merchants who know how to woo the visitor and the shopper, but the pace of life varies between slow and slower.

Lucca has one particularly stunning feature - ancient ramparts that ring the old city. The inhabitants built these brick walls in the 16th century for defense. The town lies within a circle of 16th century walls which, in the 19th century, were transformed into a tree-lined avenue; it has therefore maintained its characteristic medieval structure. It is usual to walk (or bike) around the city on the wide shaded walkways atop the walls. You can climb up the Torre Guinigi - the 130 ft. tower has an ancient oak tree on top.

Lucca is a city to stroll through, from the walls to the Roman amphitheater, which is now bordered by chic boutiques and restaurants. The town also offers bicycle rentals by the day or the week. The 16th-century red brick walls of the town, offering a wide and peaceful road shaded by chestnut trees, are a favorite place for walking, jogging or cycling. For those who wish to swim in the sea, the coastal strip of Versilia, from Forte dei Marmi to Torre del Lago Puccini, offers more than 20 kilometers (12 miles) of beaches, parks and splendid countryside. Most beaches can be reached from Lucca by car in 30 to 45 minutes.

"Via Fillungo" is the the main shopping street of Lucca downtown. The ancient cardo maximus of the Roman city is today a lively street with elegant traditional shops, medieval towers (of which the oldest and most interesting is the Tower of Hours, which can be visited), and noblemen's palaces.

Wander into the splendor of the Piazza San Michele in Lucca and choose any of the easygoing bar-cafes around the main square, where, enjoying a glass of local white wine or a gin and tonic, you can watch the locals bicycle around town.

Monuments and places of interests

Worth seeing are the churches San Michele in Foro and San Frediano, the cathedral San Martino, the shopping street via Fillungo, Palazzo and Torre Guinigi (14th c.), the latter is one of the few still existing, plant with stone oaks, clan towers (at the heyday of Lucca in the city there were, inclusive church towers, about 170 towers) and the Piazza Anfiteatro. On the ruins of the Roman amphitheater, churches and houses were built, which now form a beautiful oval square. The best ice, by the way, you can buy at the Gelateria Pinguino in Piazza Napoleone.

"Piazza Anfiteatro" Piazza of the Amphitheatre
Built on the site of an original Roman amphitheatre, Piazza Anfiteatro is another 'must-see' in Lucca. Some original Roman elements remain, particularly within the outer walls. This ancient site constitutes one of the most characteristic and original monuments of the city. The ancient amphitheatre dates from the 2nd century A.D. It was built on an elliptical plan with two rows of 54 arcades and a maximum capacity of 10,000 spectators. Beginning in the Middle Ages, houses were built over the ruins. Over the course of time the piazza developed its characteristic elliptical shape, with buildings all around it. The ancient remains are still quite evident today. The colorful piazza was restored in 1830. Enlivened by shops and cafes, it is still at the center of cultural activities, music festivals, and fairs.

The San Frediano church
The facade of the church is decorated with a lavish thirteenth century mosaic; the interior is worth seeing and houses a richly carved baptismal font as well as a shrine to Lucca's saint, Santa Zita. Instantly distinguishable from other Romanesque churches of Lucca by its golden mosaic high on the facade, the church of San Frediano is also of interest internally. The huge twelfth century baptismal font, the Fonte Lustrale, lies immediately at the entrance and is decorated with biblical scenes attributed to three different craftsmen. The church also houses a shrine to Santa Zita, Lucca's saint, whose mummified body is brought out once a year when she may be touched by the devout.

Guinigi Tower
The palace and the tree-topped tower, belonging to the prestigious merchant family of the Guinigi, are located in one of the most characteristic medieval neighborhoods of the city. It is the only remaining example of home of Gothic nobility, with elegant quadriforium on the facades, large internal rooms, and a second doorway for carriage access.

Villa and gardens
The enormous and beautifully conserved villas and gardens of the Lucca hills have become a major attraction for visitors to the town.
Lucca is situated 19 m. above sea level on an alluvial plateau, to the left of the Serchio river, not far from the Tyrrhenian coast. An important road junction in Roman times, Lucca was the capital of the Lombard Duchy of Tuscia and subsequently (8th century) the seat of the Carolingian Marquisate of Tuscany. Established as a free municipality (early 12th century), the town grew in political and economical importance, though it was often troubled by internal disputes and rivalry with Pisa. In the first half of the 14th century, it was under various Signorie and in 1369 it became a Republic remaining independent, except during the Guinigi Signorie (1400-1430) and the Napoleonic period, until 1847 when it was included in the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, from then on sharing its fortunes.

Brochure about villas Lucchesi