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Lucca is situated about 40 minutes drive north east of Pisa and about 40 minutes drive from the Versilian coast and Art Nouveau Viareggio. It is a pretty medieval fortified town and known universally as the birthplace of Puccini (classical musician and writer of operas such as Madam Butterfly) and over the past few years has become a favoured holiday destination of Luciano Pavarotti, Naomi Campbell and other stars of the silver screen.

Its other main claim to fame is that the soil around the town is remarkably rich and so has been used for wine and olive production for centuries. in particular the highly scented virgin olive oil of the Bertoli family (available at all the main UK supermarkets) has its headquarters here. Lucca is quite a rich town and this is shown in the type of shops you'll find here - don't expect a Wal-mart or Lidl the supermarkets are all well out of town. inside the walls, the town is largely pedestrianised and parking is nearly impossible. If arriving by car, you always need to use the two large car parks outside the walls although with excellent rail and bus links a car really isn't necessary. On foot, from one side to the other at a leisurely pace it will take you about 40 minutes to cross. But we recommend you try to walk the circumferance on top of the walls as this gives a unique view on the city.

Popular with lovers of the real Tuscany for its pretty piazzas, great range of restaurants and thousands of small shops selling everything from spa treatments to shoes, Lucca really is a shoppers paradise and the Sunday antiques market is extremely popular if a bit short on bargains. Shops promote local produce only and this has resulted in a thriving local community. local sights to visit such as Palazzo Pfanner, the church of San Frediano, Piazza del Anfiteatro and the Torre Guinigi with a tree growing out of the top are not to be missed.

Accommodation in Lucca

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