HISTORY OF LUCCA:
Lucca was born as a Ligurian settlement around the 3rd century BC, and then it was inhabited by the Etruscans until 180 AD, when it became a Roman colony. The grid of its historical center follows the street plan of the Roman city, and the main square of Lucca, Piazza San Michele, stands on the site of the ancient forum. Read More [...]
During the Gothic War, in 553, Lucca was besieged by Narses, and from 571, it was under Lombard occupation. In the 10th and 11th centuries, Lucca was the capital of the feudal margraviate of Tuscany, which owed allegiance to the Holy Roman Emperor.
Between 1160 and 1805, when it was conquered by Napoleon, Lucca was an independent Republic. After 1847, Lucca was annexed to the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, it became part of the Kingdom of Sardinia in 1860, and was included in the newly created Kingdom of Italy in 1861.
GEOGRAPHY OF LUCCA:
Today, Lucca is a city of about 90,000 inhabitants located in the northwestern part of Tuscany, on the plain between the plateau Altopiano delle Pizzorne and Monti Pisani, on the left bank of the Serchio River. Read More [...]
The city is situated about 20 kilometers northeast of Pisa, 72 kilometers west of Florence, 100 kilometers nortwest of Siena, 130 kilometers southwest of Bologna, 140 kilometers northwest of Arezzo, 280 kilometers south of Milan and about the same distance from Venice, 325 kilometers northwest of Rome and 545 kilometers northwest of Naples.
TRANSPORT TO/IN LUCCA:
The closest airport is the Galileo Galilei International Airport, located about 22 kilometers away, in Pisa. Another nearby airport is the Amerigo Vespucci International Airport, located about 69 kilometers away, near Florence. Read More [...]
Trains from the Pisa Centrale railway station run every 30 minutes, and the city is also on the main Viareggio-Florence railway line. A train ticket from Pisa is 3.70€ and the trip takes about half an hour. A trip from Florence takes about 1 hour and 20 minutes, and the cheapest ticket costs 8.10€.
TOURIST ATTRACTIONS IN LUCCA:
Lucca is known primarily for its medieval walls (Mura di Lucca), started in 1545 and completed around 1650, and for being the birthplace of the Italian composer Giacomo Puccini. Puccini's birth home, now a museum dedicated to the great composer, is located in the historical center of Lucca. Read More [...]
EVENTS IN LUCCA:
Every year, in the summer, since 1998, Lucca hosts the Lucca Summer Festival, one of the most important music festivals in Italy. The concerts are usually held outside the walls of Lucca, in the former Ballila Field, or in the historical center of the city, in Piazza Napoleone. Read More [...]
Other important events in Lucca are Luminara di Santa Croce, a candlelight procession which takes place on the eve of the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, on September 13, and Palio di San Paolino, a historical reenactment event dedicated to San Paolino (Saint Paulinus of Antioch), the patron saint of Lucca, held every year on July 12, in the main square of the town, Piazza San Martino.