Search for the town, the city, the area where you want to go and consult the contents of VisitItaly
Search for the town, the city, the area where you want to go and consult the contents of VisitItaly

Things to do in Lucca Italy – what to see attractions and activities

Welcome to Lucca Italy. If you’are planning to visit 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 in Lucca and surrounding. Travelers will appreciate this italian town with his rich historical and artistic heritage, local culture and environment. Discover the monuments, buildings, natural treasures and all the details that characterize Lucca and its territory.  Share and suggest a place you've visited.

Lucca, a small wonderful town

Lucca, Piazza Anfiteatro
Lucca, Piazza Anfiteatro

Lucca with its superb 16th Century City Walls which encircle it, a charming place to stroll among the trees and grassy banks. Lucca with its tranquil river offering unforgettable walks where one can restore body and mind. Lucca, city of great artists, of immortal composers such as Puccini, of famous writers and historians. Lucca with its shop windows which testify the flourishing continuity of mercantile business dating from past centuries and never forgotten; with the streets of its town centre where the traditions are renewed every day offering a variety of wines, gastronomic, handmade and local products, with its Antiques Market one of the most important and oldest in Tuscany, the 3rd weekend of each month.

Lucca with its monuments, squares, fountains, museums; with its tranquil medieval town centre in great part pedestrian, with its theatre, the Teatro del Giglio, and its esteemed seasons of opera, prose, orchestral music and dance; with its important cultural events such as the Comics Revue and the Summer Festival, the traditional ones such as the Procession of Santa Croce during the city's September festivities, or the Flower Market dedicated to S. Zita in April; with the sure knowledge that you can walk through the city at any time in complete safety Lucca is a city which offers the tourist attractions of historic interest and natural beauty, with one of the oldest botanical gardens and which is also the ideal place to stop and stay for a few days to get to know it better and to give one the chance to see how easy it is to get to, by train, road or motorway, the other cities of historical fame, the Versilia Riviera or the pleasant resorts of the Mediavalle and the Garfagnana.

written by Andrew adams - Last update: 14/11/2021

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Are you looking for other ideas for sleeping in 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 (13 Km) - Via Provinciale Di Montecarlo, 7
Hotel Le Cerbaie - >Altopascio
Altopascio (16 Km) - Loc. Cerbaia, 44 Int. 1
Luana - >Viareggio
Viareggio (20 Km) - 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 (22 Km) - Via E. Pistelli, 105 - Lido Di Camaiore
Il Trebbio - >Barga
Barga (23 Km) - Loc. Le Capannelle - Fraz. Albiano
Cottage Giusi - >Molazzana
Molazzana (23 Km) - 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.
R.T.A. Il Corallo - >Pietrasanta
Pietrasanta (24 Km) - 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.
Hotel 1908 Forte Dei Marmi - >Forte dei Marmi
Forte dei Marmi (27 Km) - Via F. Gioia, 2 -

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