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Things to do near Country of Lucca Italy – what to see attractions and activities

Welcome to the Country of Lucca, one of the most popular vacation destination in Italy. If you’are planning to visit the Country of Lucca for your next trip and you are looking for the best places to visit, here you’ll find tips and suggestions of most popular point of interest and activities not to be missed. Travelers will appreciate this italian province with his rich historical and artistic heritage, local culture and environment. Discover the monuments, buildings, natural treasures and all the details near Country of Lucca. Share and suggest a place you've visited.

Provincia di Lucca: the jewel of Tuscany

Careggine in Garfagnana province of Lucca
Careggine in Garfagnana province of Lucca

The Provincia di Lucca in Tuscany is a province centred around the capital city Lucca. It is an area of great beauty, from the medieval capital city to the surrounding countryside which is typically Tuscan.
 

Visitors to Lucca itself can enjoy the peace of a city where little traffic is allowed within the walls which enclose the historic centre, with the top of the walls themselves being a popular route for cycling and relaxing evening walks.
 

The city is sometimes referred to as Pisa without the crowds, and while there is no leaning tower, there is the Torre Guinigi whose 230 steps will reward with a great view of the town viewed in the shade of the giant oaks which grow on the top. Also worth a climb is the Torre del Ore or Clock Tower, which is slightly higher and a little less visited by tour parties. The Piazza San Michele, in the centre is built on the site of the ancient Roman forum and is surrounded by 13th century buildings of great architectural interest.
 

Elsewhere in the Lucca province, the Versilia coastline has several good beach resorts with Viareggio the best known and easily reachable by train, while the interior Garfagna is a beautiful piece of countryside with tree-clad rolling hills, olive groves and vineyards. A notable sight near Borgo e Mazzano is the 11th century Ponte della Maddelena which spans the river Serchio, with a high central arch which seemingly defies gravity, and makes for a scenic place to stop and enjoy the countryside.

written by Emilio Aronica - Last update: 14/11/2021

Borgo a Mozzano - Bridges

Ponte del Diavolo

The Devil's Bridge or Ponte della Maddalena is located from the 14th century on the Serchio River. It is said 'Devil's Bridge' thanks to the legend that saw its builder come to terms with the devil. These agreements provided that the bridge could be completed in one night, as long as the builder brought him in return the first soul that crossed it. I ran to report this pact to the parish priest of the country, the builder devised a ploy that saw a dog show up first, who was thrown into the waters of the river by the Devil. The story is still handed down that the dog is seen passing on the bridge in October evenings.

Lucca - Walls, towers and gates

Acquedotto Storico Lorenzo Nottolini

The Aqueduct, by Lorenzo Nottolini, dates back to the first part of the nineteenth century, commissioned by the Duchess of Lucca. Its length extends over almost 3.2 km, characterized by over 400 arches. It had a very important function for the area at the time, but after a few years it lost six of its pillars due to the construction of the A11 motorway. Today, the aqueduct has only a monumental function, and it is freely open to visitors.

Lucca - Castles, palaces and mansions

Palazzo Brancoli Busdraghi

The construction of Palazzo Brancoli dates back to the 17th century and inside there is a huge private garden. In the old documents of the city, the garden appeared for the first time in 1843, having, in fact, a very special structure. Nowadays it has an irregular shape with access to the north side and numerous flowering species as well as a small rose garden. Currently, it is the headquarters of a hotel, available to all interested parties.

Lucca - Walls, towers and gates

Baluardo Santa Croce

The bulwark of Santa Croce is the last to be built in the city of Lucca and dates back to 1547. Its structure is such as to facilitate movement within it and make it more effective. Over the years, the bulwark has changed its function. In fact, the Camillo Aita outdoor school has been located on the internal platform since the early twentieth century, whose pavilion classrooms are also distributed along the adjacent embankment towards S. Giustina.

Pietrasanta - Museums

Palazzo Moroni

Located on the main square of the historic center, in the immediate vicinity of the Duomo, Palazzo Moroni, with its characteristic double external staircase and the austerity of classical decorations, is one of the buildings historically more relevant than the city that comes from the union of two pre-existing buildings and which is used for public functions. Today the building is home to the Municipal Historical Archive and the Versiliese Archaeological Museum “Bruno Antonucci”.

Lucca - Museums

Casa Museo 'Giacomo Puccini'

The birthplace where Giacomo Puccini was born on 22 December 1858 and in which the composer lived all the years of his childhood was transformed into a museum in 1979, was reopened to the public on 13th September 2011, after major restoration work. The museum houses original furnishings, precious objects, including the Steinway & Sons piano on which Turandot composed, autograph scores of youth compositions, many letters, paintings, photographs, sketches, memorabilia and precious documents that testify to the composer's work.

Lucca - Castles, palaces and mansions

Palazzo Orsetti

The Orsetti Palace was built by the Diodati family. Today the municipality is located in the palace of Orsetti. Outside the building we observe a beautiful garden, inside which there are trees and in the center a well. The garden is bordered by high walls. On the ground floor you can see some beautiful rooms with wall paintings from the 19th century. On the first floor there are beautiful rooms, among which the most important are that of Mirrors and the Music Room.

Lucca - Walls, towers and gates

Baluardo San Regolo

This bulwark rises in the area, called in ancient “Piaggia Romana”, which was initially destined for the cemetery of the plagued, the sentenced to death and heretics, and subsequently used for the game of football. This structure was raised for defensive reasons. The interior of the bulwark was rebuilt in 1966 and is accessed from the Botanical Garden. Inside the bulwark you can see the rooms for the storage room of weapons and powder boxes.

Lucca - Parks and nature reserves

Orto Botanico

The Lucca botanical garden was created in 1820 by Maria Luisa of Bourbon with the aim of experimenting with the rooting of new botanical species. The Municipal Botanical Garden of Lucca is a scientific institution. Little by little it began to expand, to arrive at its present appearance: the 'residence' of a wide range of floral organisms. It was managed by the best professors. The Botanical Garden has an area of about 2 hectares and is home to hundreds of plant species. It became the property of the municipality of Lucca in 1901.

Lucca - Castles, palaces and mansions

Palazzo Bernardini

Palazzo Bernardini is located in the homonymous square and was designed by Nicolao Civitali in the 16th century. The building is linked to Florentine architectural schemes. A curiosity: one of the stones in the window that is on the right of the door is curiously arched. According to a singular popular legend, this 'Devil's Stone' would refuse to adhere to the façade to remember the destruction of a sacred image that arose in that place before the rise of the palace.

Lucca - Castles, palaces and mansions

Villa Bottini

It was built in the middle of the 16th century, in the historic center of Lucca. For a time, it was the property of Napoleon's sister, Elisa Bonaparte. The shape is of a parallelepiped positioned in such a way that you can have a garden full of green spaces. Over time, the garden has also been modified according to the preferences of the time. Today the structure is the place of representation for the Municipality and seat of the Cultural Office for Lucca. It is currently open and is accessible to the public.

Pieve Fosciana - Castles, palaces and mansions

Rocca di Sillico

The Rocca di Sillico was built around the fifteenth century, but unfortunately there is no certain date. In fact, analyzing the structure, it was thought to date back to this period. It has thick walls and escarpments, loops, and artillery structures. The construction had the function of defending and protecting against enemy attacks. That's why there is also a square tower inside it. Today, the whole building is in good condition.

Viareggio - Museums

Pinacoteca Lorenzo Viani

The Lorenzo Viani Art Gallery is located inside Villa Paolina on the ground floor. The Villa Paolina was named so in honor of Paolina Borghese Bonaparte. It was built in 1822. It is one of the most important in the area and currently houses a large collection of works, about 64 pieces on display, related to contemporary figurative art, paintings and sculptures. The Art Gallery is located in four rooms. All the furniture in the room is very nice with furniture from the period. Admission to the art gallery is free of charge for all interested parties.

Looking for other ideas for sleeping around Lucca

Hotel A Palazzo Busdraghi, Residenza d'Epoca - >Lucca
Lucca - Via Fillungo, 170
A Palazzo Busdraghi is a small PeriodHotel- Residenza d'Epoca, located in the heart of the city of Lucca, in a historical building of medieval times. The eight rooms are comfortable, cozy and romantic, each with a jacuzzi, minibar and heating / air conditioning autonomous. Tasty breakfast with local and homemade products, and delicious cakes prepared by us! special offers throughout the year, business and single travelers rates!
Biospazio - >Lucca
Lucca - Via Delle Nubache, 284 - Loc. Carignano
Ancient villa from the 1800s completely renovated in 2009, park with salt-purified swimming pool and whirlpool. Internal surface of 900 square meters, arranged over three floors with lift and dumbwaiter. It has an infrared sauna, underfloor heating, windows and doors with double low-emissivity and shatterproof glass, ceiling cooling and dehumidification. It has 7 rooms all with private year in the room, for a total of 16/18 beds. Indoor parking for 8/9 cars. Bicycle park. children's games table football and ping.pong The property is 6 km from the center of Lucca and 10 km from the sea at Viareggio.
Anfiteatro Apartments - >Lucca
Lucca - Via Anfiteatro, 25 - Loc. Lucca
Borgo   La Torre - >Montecarlo
Montecarlo - Via Provinciale Di Montecarlo, 7
Hotel Le Cerbaie - >Altopascio
Altopascio - Loc. Cerbaia, 44 Int. 1
Luana - >Viareggio
Viareggio - Via U. Foscolo, 36 -
Small family 2-star Hotel located in Viareggio, just 200 meters from the sea. Rooms with private bathroom, air conditioning, safe, television, free internet access. Breakfast buffet.
LungoMare Hotel - >Camaiore
Camaiore - Via E. Pistelli, 105 - Lido Di Camaiore
Il Trebbio - >Barga
Barga - Loc. Le Capannelle - Fraz. Albiano
R.T.A. Il Corallo - >Pietrasanta
Pietrasanta - Viale Roma, 299 - Motrone - Marina
Located a few steps from Marina di Pietrasanta’s sandy beaches, Residence Il Corallo offers apartments with free WiFi, a patio and an outdoor seating area. Guests enjoy a bar on-site. Air-conditioned units come with a dining table, TV and a well-equipped kitchenette with an oven. The bathroom is complete with a shower and a hairdryer. Some apartments overlook a small garden. Pietrasanta Train Station is a 10-minute drive from Il Corallo Residence and offers links to Florence. The property is also just 10 km from Viareggio.
Cottage Giusi - >Molazzana
Molazzana - Via Della Chiesa 3 - Loc. Brucciano
The rental of COTTAGE GIUSI is available on a weekly basis throughout the year and also allows guests to safely park their cars in an outdoor private space. COTTAGE GIUSI is located on two levels joined by a winding staircase. COTTAGE GIUSI has just undergone extensive restoration: the interior was completely renovated COTTAGE GIUSI (sleeps 4) self catering holiday indipendent cottage near Lucca in Tuscany,in GARFAGNANA country. The cottage is composed by: - 1 double bedroom with panoramic balcony; - 1 twin bedroom; - 1 bathroom with shower; - 1 large hall with fireplace and kitchen.
Hotel 1908 Forte Dei Marmi - >Forte dei Marmi
Forte dei Marmi - Via F. Gioia, 2 -
Villa Verde - >Castiglione di Garfagnana
Castiglione di Garfagnana - Via Statale, 5 - Loc. Cerageto
The VILLA VERDE boardinhouse (850 a.s.l.) Is very close to skiing resorts, riding centres and sporting centres situated in the small town of Castiglione. In the surroundings guests will be able to visit the Orecchiella park, the botanic centre and the museum of Peasant Civilization in San Pellegrino in Alpe.

Country of Lucca

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