Loving Lucca, Italy — — Laura ChildsLaura Childs

Lucca, Italy is one of those towns in the Tuscan region that you probably never heard of, and no words can adequately describe. This is an extremely old city built behind 20′ (or so) walls that make a lovely walking tour or morning bicycle ride. The top of the wall hosts trees to provide ample shade on the hottest of days, a foot path, sidewalks, stairs down into the city (or out of) and benches along the way if you get tired.

Lucca Italy - Architecture

How we ended up there was nothing short of a blessing! We really had no idea what we were in for when we booked the cheapest room in the cheapest hostel there.

Lucca Italy Hostel - San Freidiano

On the way to our Lucca Hostel

Remember now, that we are two females – a mother and daughter – on our own in a country whose language neither one of us have heard before…

And yet as we stayed there, as we walked around the city streets at night, as we slept in our room in the big, nearly empty school dorm, we did not once worry about our safety. And trust me, I was cautious and ready for trouble, having come from years of life in Toronto where anything can happen to unsuspecting females.

A little village scene found in our travels to Lucca Italy - Tuscany

We fell in love with Lucca. So much so, in fact, that we often talk today about returning for a month. So much so, that Veronica dreams of moving there one day. So much so, that even though we were less than an hour’s travel away from such tourist traps as the leaning tower of Pisa, etc. – we didn’t want to leave the magic we found in little Lucca.

Even when it was time to return to Rome to catch our flight home, we dragged our feet and changed our train travel to the very last moment…

Gardens in Tuscany - Around the Walled City of Lucca Italy

Comments

Amber Lane says:

January 30, 2008 at 4:28 pm

I know exactly how you felt. I, too, fell in love with Lucca and, with the exception of a half-day trip to the American Consulate in Florence, did not wish to leave to go elsewhere. It’s hard to explain to anyone who hasn’t been there, but that little town really gets under your skin and into your heart. I rented an apartment in Lucca for 2 weeks and settled in to shop, cook, talk and live like a local. I was acepted as a resident, rarely taken for a tourist, and made some good friends with whom I still correspond. It goes without saying that I will be going back as soon as humanly possible, and intend to retire there in the next couple of years.
Chris says:

August 21, 2008 at 11:09 am

This picture of the arch is a stunning picture, I absolutely love it. The gate at the far end makes me want to see more!

I spent some in Italy awhile back, and can’t express how much I loved Lucca – it absolutely took over me.

That little city is such a hypnotic gem that I returned many, many, times. My favorite pastime was going to the gelato shop across the piazza from the Chiesa. There they had a wooden glider swing, the kind that four people could sit in and gently swing and talk or just pass the time, revelling in the magical atmosphere of the town.

I very much agree with Amber, it seems impossible to express how much the magical serenity and beauty of it calls back to you!
Wanda Heinle says:

April 26, 2011 at 5:45 am

An exceedingly nice post. In ideas I have to add writing along to these lines. Spending time and effort to craft a decent article. But whatever I say, I end up procrastinating. Maybe I just need to get away to a new place too.
Elizabeth says:

November 4, 2011 at 8:35 pm

I lived in Lucca as a young college student, and was exceedingly charmed by this quaint mix of old and new. Locals from nearby cities told me Lucca is ‘trendy,” but I found it comfortable and endearing – even as a young woman traveling alone and living in a hostel. I, like other posters here, loved Lucca so much that I was hesitant to go to Pisa or Rome; I so enjoyed the culture and offerings of the streets just outside my room, I found no time to leave.

The coffee, the pasta, the gelato, early-morning pastries from the local bakery, the square and churches lit up during a summer-night stroll – I would love to retire to Lucca one day; I recommend anyone bound for Tuscany spend a few days (if not more!) in Lucca.

OP, thanks for your photos, they’re beautiful.