Lucca

I needed one last adventure in Italy before the end of my semester abroad. I wanted to go away by myself to reflect on my semester and see one final part of Italy. So I decided to take a small day trip to Lucca, a city in northern Tuscany, located very close to Pisa.

Like my guidebook tells me, Lucca was a Roman settlement, seen most evidently through its street grid and beautiful Romanesque churches. During the Middle Ages, like most Tuscan towns, Lucca thrived through its wealthy guilds, in particular its silk merchants and bankers. Later in 1799 when Napoleon stormed Italy, he was so taken by Lucca that he presented it as a gift to his sister.

The main attraction in Lucca is definitely its city’s fortress wall. Almost all cities in Italy, had fortress walls to protect them from invasion. You can still see remains of Siena’s city walls and gates. However, Lucca is unique because its fortress is still entirely intact. The high walls enclose the entire city in a wide track that runs 3 miles around. So I arrived in Lucca set on renting a bicycle so I could enjoy the gorgeous mountain views outside the walls and of course the beautiful city within. It was a bitterly cold day, but I found the bike rental shop and took my wheels out for a spin. The views from my bike ride were stunning. The landscape on the fortress was beautiful—it’s like a circular park with small rest-stop restaurants and playgrounds spread sporadically along the path. I biked around numerous times, stopping periodically to walk to the wall’s edge and take in the views. The sky was a beautiful blue and the locals were taking advantage of the clear skies to bike, jog, and take a walks with their kids.

Lucca is a nicely sized city, with a feel that is a mix of both Siena and Florence. It was a bit more commercial, with some high-end shops, but nothing that I felt took away from the city’s charm. The cobblestone streets winded their way in and out of the old apartments and buildings, just like Siena, and its stores were decorated for Christmas. Around every corner was another church and upon arrival I discovered a huge outdoor antiques market that was spread throughout a large part of the city center. Like Siena, cars are limited on the streets, but because of the flat landscape, unlike Siena, bikers were everywhere. Ringing bells, signaled me to jump out of the way numerous times to let bicycles pass.

Lucca was the only city I liked more than Siena. It was quaint and quiet. The architecture was beautiful and each turn around a corner presented something new to see. It seemed like a friendly and family oriented city. There was a large square with a carousel and kids were everywhere with their parents and grandparents. Lucca was also the first city I visited that actually “shut down” for lunch. When I first arrived in the city in the morning the streets were bustling with shoppers. After my bike ride, around 1pm (prime lunch hour) the streets were deserted and all the cafes I looked into were completely packed, with no seats available.

Just a train ride away, I was so happy that I took this trip to Lucca. Despite the cold I spent a wonderful afternoon exploring this great city. It was definitely the perfect end to my Tuscan adventure.