"Walls and an open heart" Lucca by SPW

Lucca Travel Guide: 568 reviews and 1,478 photos

Warm welcome

Arriving by train from Venice, we were greeted at the station by our landlady, Violetta and whisked away to her apartment within the walls of this wonderful city. There we found a welcome bottle of wine and some snacks to revive us as she showed us around and explained how things worked. Leaving us to settle in, Violetta then arrived back 2 hours later to take us to the supermarket to stock up, although the apartment was already well equipped with basic provisions. With her guidance we purchased several local specialities: Tuscan bread, local prosciutto, salami and cheese as well as fruit and vegetables enough to last for the next few days.

Ancient City

Candles decorating buildings for Santa Croce

In Lucca we found a city, encased within medieval walls, with a remnant of the old Roman wall, known since ancient times and well preserved. It appears to be a prosperous city, with a strong local identity; a religious city with many churches and votives on many walls; a private city with the outside wall excluded by the city alls and the high walls and shutters of the city buildings.
We were there at the time of the annual feast of Santa Croce when the Volta Santo is carried through the streets during a candlelit procession, culminating in fireworks. As we were unable to work out the best vantage point to view the fireworks we missed their colour but heard their noise, but we did watch the procession, which seemed a cross between festival and solemnity, hymns and prayers punctuated by joyful reunions as people with Lucchese roots returned to join their home parishes as they marched; with bands and marching girls, and people in folk costume and medieval garb.
After our week of climbing up and down bridges in Venice, Lucca was blessedly flat and easy to navigate, especially once we started to get the routes of the local buses sorted.

Pros and Cons

Pros:Small, accessible city
In a nutshell:Warmth behind walls

Last visit to Lucca: Sep 2006
Intro Written Jan 21, 2007
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Reviews (5)

Candlelight procession Local Customs (1)

The most treasured religious object in Lucca is Volto Santo, which is kept in a shrine at The Cathedral od San Martino.... more travel advice

Santa Maria Annunziata, towers SS Gervasio,Protasi - Lucca

Wandering around Lucca Things to Do (1)

One of the things we enjoyed about Lucca was wandering around looking at the sights. Around the town there were many... more travel advice

With our landlady Violetta on our balcony - Lucca

Charming apartment with a warm welcome! Hotels (1)

This first floor apartment was a welcoming secure haven for our stay in Lucca. It consisted of an entry hall with lounge... more travel advice

Entertainment over lunch Restaurants (2)

Da Leo has both an outdoor dining area and the more atmospheric indoor dining room. The dining room was crowded and had... more travel advice

Travelogues (1)

Written Jan 21, 2007

7 photos

Day trip into the Lucchese hills

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Comments (5)

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Maurizioago Jun 6, 2009 at 5:05 AM

Lucca is one one of my favourite town in Italy. Do you have the e-mail address of the guest house you suggested? The link doesn't work properly.. Ciao!
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tzuki May 17, 2009 at 3:29 AM

Nice tips and memories from Lucca, I´ve just came back from my Italian trip being Lucca our first stop :) amazing city and people there, very warm hearts. x
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olja1234 Feb 17, 2008 at 8:48 AM

So inviting page, Sue. I like it.
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toonsarah Aug 30, 2007 at 11:51 AM

A lovely little page - written with a real affection for what seems to be a gem of a city. Thank you for sharing.
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rexvaughan Feb 16, 2007 at 8:01 PM

Nicely done, Sue. Makes me want to go to Lucca. How is being a grandmother??? Best wishes for a wonderful birhtday.