Forget the overcrowded streets of Siena and Florence. For 2024 Italy’s most enchanting and tranquil city bursting with art, architecture, food, and wine, (and the birthplace of Puccini and Dante) is the beautiful town of Lucca. Perfect for a short break or long weekend away, where you really can get away from the hustle and bustle. Located in a fertile valley the name Lucca means ‘luminous space’, – the town’s history goes back over two millennia and it has been dubbed the Città d’arte (City of Art).
To help you navigate Lucca, Tourist Italy has included this fascinating Italian city in their new itineraries for 2024 so that you can experience a cultural deep dive into Lucca’s underbelly. Perhaps choose a Half-Day Walking Tour through the back streets and alleyways or sample some of the delicious food that Lucca is famous for on the Tourist Italy Half-Day Food Tour. Sample a mouthwatering bowl of Tordelli – crescent-shaped pasta filled with ricotta and spinach, served with a meat sauce or perhaps try a plate of Buccellato – a sweet ring-shaped bread with raisins and anise seeds. Do take home a bottle of olive oil – Lucca is renowned for its extra virgin olive oil, a staple in Tuscan cuisine.
Currently, Tourist Italy is the only Tour Operator organizing trips to Lucca from Florence, and with their experienced guides, you can uncover the delights of Lucca. With comfortable transportation, expert guides, and a small group, book a Tuscany Sunrise, San Gimignano, Lucca, and Pisa Tour from Florence and dive into the heart of San Gimignano, Pisa, and Lucca and experience these towns like a true local. What sets this tour apart is giving you the chance to watch the stunning Tuscan sunrise which also means you’ll avoid the usual traffic and crowds.
Today, Lucca is a modern city with an abundance of cultural happenings every year. Lucca hosts a Summer Festival (acts confirmed for 2024 include Ed Sheeran, Sam Smith and Duran Duran), as well as the Lucca Comic and Games Festival. It also has a Film Festival, Digital Photography Fest, and religious parades with full costumery. On the third Sunday of each month, a Mercato Antiquario occurs with a vibrant antique and bric-a-brac market, and the Via Fillungo, Lucca’s elegant main shopping street is a must-go. If you’re a fan of mosaics you will love Lucca’s stunning chapels and churches.
Lucca is known as the City of Art, not only for its historic center but also for architectural monuments like the Guinigi Tower that dates from the 1300s. This 125-foot tower is easily recognized by the garden and trees that grow on its rooftop. Legend has it that the tallest tree in the garden was planted by Paolo Guinigi, who was captured and imprisoned in the castle by Francesco Sforza. It was said that before Paolo’s execution, all the leaves fell off the tree.
Tourist Italy is groundbreaking and changing the face of travel in Italy with its innovative tours that are designed to avoid the crowds and explore some of lesser-known Italian destinations. Tourist Italy works collaboratively and collectively with minority communities in this diverse region and engages with regional communities on Italian tours. They also use the most modern fuel-efficient vehicles and aim to reduce the use of single-use plastics. With the goal of passionate and compassionate travel in mind, Tourist Italy works to continually push the boundaries in Italian tourism.
Tourist Italy offers small group tours that allow you to experience Italy in a very different way. The tours take you to the regular spots, but in a way that makes them more accessible. For example, some tours take place outside of the usual times when the large crowds arrive.
Tourist Italy also offers tours to unexplored parts of the country, such as rural Tuscany and to farms and factories that are exclusive to Tourist Italy. They also offer tours that focus on lesser-known cities like the historic Lucca, which encapsulates the culture, heritage, and architecture of Italy but is less known and therefore less busy. Tourist Italy’s tours are also perfect for second-time visitors to Italy, as they offer a new and unique way to explore the country.
Read Tourist Italy’s Lucca Travel Guide with their top tips about where to go and what to do in 2024 and book one of their unique Tourist Italy Lucca Tours
