Car Hire Lucca - Mini guide to Lucca

Situated in the heart of Tuscany, 45 miles west of Florence, is the stately city of Lucca. The home of Puccini plus an abundance of architectural delights and wide promenades, this city sets itself apart. With elegant shops selling art nouveau and plenty of fine restaurants, Lucca makes a pleasant stop for the tourist.

The Cattedrale di San Martino, on Piazza San Martino, is an impeccable example of Roman architecture. This gigantic 12th century building could take an entire day to appreciate, with its intricate medieval stone carvings and fine baroque works. On the Piazza Anfiteatro are the remains of a 1st- or 2nd-century Roman amphitheatre.

Take a stroll around town and you’ll find many of Lucca's main shopping promenades, the better ones being Via Fillungo and more proletarian Via Santa Lucia. The best wine cellar in town is easily the Enoteca Vanni, with hundreds of bottles of local and Tuscan vintage.

Lucca has plenty of great places to eat for all budgets. The Antico Caffè delle Mura, on Piazzale Vittorio Emanuele, offers traditional food in an elegant dining room decorated with a fresco of Lucca’s skyline. In the northwest corner of the city’s walls, on Via Conce 45, is Da Giulio, a very popular trattoria offering reasonably priced food.

Surrounding Lucca is the Garfagnana region, north of the city along the Serchio river. Lush forests, mountains, Romanesque churches, medieval Alpine villages, and good hiking trails, as well as plenty of wildlife, can all be seen if you have a day to explore the area.

There’s no airport in Lucca, so the best way to reach the city is by train. Lucca is on the Florence-Viareggio train line, with 21 trains daily passing through Florence, Pistoia, and Montecatini Terme. If you’re coming by car, the A11 runs from Florence through Prato, Pistoia, and Montecatini before hitting Lucca. Buses run hourly from Florence.