Your Trip to Tuscany: The Complete Guide SEE FULL GUIDE prev next Food to Try in Tuscany Best Wineries Best Wine Tours Best Time to Visit Weather & Climate Airports in Tuscany Getting Around Tuscany Top Things to Do Best Siena Hotels Best Chianti Hotels Best Lucca Hotels Castle Hotels in Tuscany Top Destinations in Tuscany Best Beaches Siena Travel Guide Montecatini Terme Travel Guide Chianti Travel Guide Pisa's Top Attractions Things to Do in Lucca Your Trip to Tuscany: The Complete Guide close Overview Europe Italy Tuscany 11 Best Things to Do in Lucca, Italy Written by Martha Bakerjian Twitter Martha Bakerjian is an Italian travel expert who uses her home in northern Tuscany as a base for her in-depth explorations of the country. Tripsavvy's Editorial Guidelines Martha Bakerjian Updated 06/26/19 Share Pin Email Santiago Urquijo/Getty Images Lucca, one of the most romantic towns in Tuscany, holds many attractions for tourists. Its historic center, with medieval towers and nearly 100 churches, is completely enclosed by its walls, which make it a good city for walking, biking, and shopping. Find a beautiful place to stay and explore all that Lucca, Italy, has to offer. 01 of 11 Bike on Lucca's Walls TripSavvy / Jamie Ditaranto View Map Address Via delle Mura Urbane, 55100 Lucca LU, Italy Get directions Phone +39 081 867 5234 Web Visit website The walls enclosing Lucca's historic center are some of the best-preserved ramparts in Italy. You can walk clear around Lucca on top of the wall. In the 1800s, the top of the thick wall was planted with trees and grass turning it into a huge park and a pleasant place to walk or ride a bike. There are more than four kilometers of walls with six gates and 11 bastions. 02 of 11 Visit San Michele in Foro Church TripSavvy / Jamie Ditaranto View Map Address Piazza San Michele, 55100 Lucca LU, Italy Get directions Phone +39 0583 583150 Web Visit website San Michele Church is in the large square that was originally the Roman Forum in the center of Lucca. Today, it's still a lively square lined with medieval buildings housing cafes, shops, and homes. The square is a favorite place in Lucca to sit and have a coffee. The beautiful marble church, built from the 11th through 14th centuries, has a large Romanesque facade—larger, in fact, than the actual church. It's topped with a statue of the archangel San Michele, or Saint Michael. 03 of 11 Stop in San Martino Cathedral TripSavvy / Jamie Ditaranto View Map Address San Martino, Cathedral Road, Gurranabraher, Cork, Ireland Get directions Lucca's cathedral, dedicated to San Martino or Saint Martin, sits on Piazza San Martino surrounded by impressive medieval buildings. Originally built in the 12th to 13th centuries, it's Romanesque in style and has an intricately decorated marble facade. Next to the cathedral is its tall 13th-century bell tower and Casa dell'Opera del Duomo, a typical medieval house of Lucca. The interior is Gothic and holds many artworks, including the Volto Santo and the 15th-century tomb Ilaria del Carretto, a masterpiece by Jacopo della Quercia. 04 of 11 Explore the Church and Baptistery of San Giovanni and Reparata TripSavvy / Jamie Ditaranto View Map Address Piazza S. Giovanni, 55100 Lucca LU, Italy Get directions Phone +39 0583 490530 Web Visit website San Giovanni Church was built in the 12th century and partially remodeled in the 17th, but still has some Romanesque features. Inside the church, you can go underground for a fascinating look at archaeological excavations dating from the first century BC through the 11th century AD including Roman remains, part of an early Christian church, and a medieval crypt. It's open daily from mid-March through November 2, and on weekends and holidays the rest of the year. Each evening at 7 p.m. the church holds a music performance. Continue to 5 of 11 below. 05 of 11 Stroll Around the Piazza dell'Anfiteatro TripSavvy / Jamie Ditaranto View Map Address Piazza dell'Anfiteatro, 55100 Lucca LU, Italy Get directions Urban Parks 4.4 Piazza dell' Anfiteatro, an oval shaped piazza, was the site of a Roman amphitheater. Parts of the original oval ground-plan and outer ring of second-century construction can still be seen. Buildings and houses were built around the arena during the middle ages. The lively piazza is ringed with shops, cafes, and restaurants both inside and out. In July, it's the venue for open-air music performances. 06 of 11 Climb the Guinigi Tower TripSavvy / Jamie Ditaranto View Map Address Torre Guinigi, Via Sant'Andrea, 55100 Lucca LU, Italy Get directions Climb the 130 stairs to the top of Guinigi Tower, one of Lucca's 14th-century towers, for fantastic views of Lucca. Guinigi Tower is on Via Guinigi, a well-preserved medieval street where you'll also find the Case dei Guinigi, a complex of 14th-century towers and brick houses. The Guinigi Tower can be identified from a distance by the large oak tree growing out of its top. 07 of 11 Shop Via Fillungo and Torre delle Ore TripSavvy / Jamie Ditaranto View Map Address Via Arancio, 1, 55100 Lucca LU, Italy Get directions Phone +39 0583 48090 Web Visit website Lucca is a good city for shopping. There are many enticing shops for delicious foods, jewelry, and fashion, and several artisan workshops to visit in the historic center. Via Fillungo is a main shopping street in the historic center. Here you'll find all kinds of stores, from food and wine to clothing and household items. The street is mainly pedestrian and almost always full of people walking and browsing the wares. Also on Via Fillungo is the Torre delle Ore, or clock tower—another medieval tower that you can climb. 08 of 11 Visit the Villa Guinigi National Museum TripSavvy / Jamie Ditaranto View Map Address Via della Quarquonia, 4, 55100 Lucca LU, Italy Get directions Phone +39 0583 496033 Web Visit website In a 15th-century villa near the east walls, the Villa Guinigi's museum has local artifacts and artworks from prehistoric times through the 17th century. There's a large collection of local Romanesque, Gothic, and Renaissance art including 15th-century wood inlays. Combination tickets are available for Villa Guinigi and the National Museum in Palazzo Mansi, near the west walls. Palazzo Mansi has paintings as well as the tapestries and frescoes of the 16th- through 19th-century palazzo itself. Palazzo Pfanner, with a costume collection and lovely gardens, is another palazzo that can be visited. Continue to 9 of 11 below. 09 of 11 Relax in the Botanic Garden TripSavvy / Jamie Ditaranto Lucca's botanic garden has a small lake with water plants, a collection of mountain plants, succulent display, greenhouses, and medicinal plants and herbs. It's a peaceful place to get away from the crowds. In summer, there are evening concerts scheduled, too. 10 of 11 Take in the Architecture of San Frediano Church TripSavvy / Jamie Ditaranto View Map Address Piazza S. Frediano, 55100 Lucca LU, Italy Get directions Phone +39 349 844 0290 Web Visit website San Frediano's facade is decorated with a stunning 13th-century Byzantine-style mosaic. Made mostly with gold leaf mosaic that glows beautifully in the sunlight, there's also a little color to make the apostles and Christ stand out. The church was originally built in the 6th century but remodeled in the 12th. Inside is a Romanesque baptismal font. There are also several artworks and frescoes and the mummified body of The Incorruptible Santa Zita. 11 of 11 Go to the Puccini House Museum TripSavvy / Jamie Ditaranto View Map Address Viale Giacomo Puccini, 266, 55049 Torre del Lago Puccini LU, Italy Get directions Phone +39 0584 341445 Web Visit website Puccini, the famous opera composer, was born in Lucca and his home is now a museum with his piano, musical scores, and more Puccini memorabilia. You'll see a bronze statue of Puccini in the piazza bearing his name, a pleasant square with a few cafes and a restaurant. Villas and Gardens in the Countryside of Lucca Visiting the villas and gardens near Lucca is a good day trip that can be done either by bicycle or car. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Share Pin Email Tell us why! Submit