Lucca is one of the most beautiful old Italian towns we've visited. It's really up there with Florence, Bologna, Rome etc.
But since the old town center is quite compact, it's perfect to explore it completely by foot.Easy to navigate, easy to get to, easy to park. It's a ZTL Zone, so you gotta drop your car outside the city walls (the Parcheggio Palatucci is a good option - and still free of charge during Covid-19).
You enter the old city through one of the gates in the beautiful city walls with the moat surrounding the town. If coming from the biggest parking lot, you'll be entering through Porta San Donato. The walls and the gate being two of the first sights you'll see. And there are so many sights and landmarks in this amazing historic town. Don't miss out on the Torre Delle Ore, the Chiesa di San Giusto, the Palazzo Pfanner, the fantastic Piazza dell'Anfiteatro, the Basilica di San Frediano and the Piazza Napoleone. And of course the heart of the city: the Piazza San Michele with the breathtaking Chiesa di San Michele in Foro.
Besides that take some walks on these streets and lanes: Via S. Paolino, Via Pozzotorelli, Via Santa Lucia, Via Beccheria, Via Del Moro and Via Fillungo.
Otherwise it's also fun, to just wander around and to get lost a bit in this old city. Not much can happen, somewhen you will reach the city walls, then you can navigate your way back to whereever you planned.
We enjoyed our day here. Great buildings, churches and architecture. Good food as well. Interesting shops and nice bakeries. The town feels relaxed and laid back. Even in Corona times you can forget about what's all going on in the world for a while.
Nice to visit a traffic-free town (besides some delivery cars and trucks). Even "Top Gear" (back when it was good) was here once. We loved it. read more