HISTORY: 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. During the Gothic War, in 553, Lucca was besieged by Narses, and from 571, it was under Lombard occupation. Read More [...]
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 Italian State in 1861.
GEOGRAPHY: Today, Lucca is a city of about 90,000 inhabitants located in the north-western part of Tuscany, on the plain between the plateau Altopiano delle Pizzorne and Monti Pisani, on the left bank of the Serchio River. 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, about 325 kilometers northwest of Rome.
TRANSPORT: The easiest way to reach the city by plane is to fly to the Galileo Galilei International Airport, located about 22 kilometers away, in Pisa, or to the Amerigo Vespucci International Airport, located about 69 kilometers away, near Florence. From the Pisa Airport, you can take the bus Line E3 to Lucca. The trip takes about 50 minutes and the ticket costs 3.5€.
Trains from 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 3.5€ and the trip takes about half an hour. A trip from Florence takes about 1 hour and 20 minutes, and the ticket costs 7.8€.
LANDMARKS: Lucca is known for its medieval walls (Mura di Lucca), started in 1545 and completed around 1650, for the superb oval square Piazza dell'Anfiteatro, built on the remains of an ancient Roman amphitheater, for the Cathedral of San Martino, the Church of Sant Michele in Foro, the Basilica of San Frediano, and for the two towers - Torre Guinigi, with holm oaks on top, and Torre delle Ore, the tallest tower in the city.
EVENTS: Every year, in the summer, Lucca hosts the Lucca Summer Festival, one of the most important music festivals in Italy. The Lucca Summer Festival is held since 1998 in Lucca, when Bob Dylan, George Benson and Joe Cocker performed on stage.
MORE INFO: Touristic Portal | Pisa Airport | Florence Airport | Car Hire | Train Timetables & Fares | Bus Timetables & Fares | Hotels in Lucca | Tours & Activities in Lucca