Lucca: Inside Tuscany’s Walled City

Lucca’s walls make the city easy to recognize and easy to navigate. Rather than a thin defensive barrier, they form a broad, raised circuit with trees, paths and grassy slopes. People use them for walks, runs and bike rides, with views across rooftops on one side and the newer city on the other. Gates connect the old center to neighborhoods, the train station and parking areas outside. The walls also give Lucca a clear sense of scale. Much of what a first-time visitor wants to see lies within them, and crossing the center on foot is straightforward. That does not mean every street is quiet: popular routes and squares get busy, especially on weekends. A turn or two away, though, the city often feels more residential.

The oval Piazza dell’Anfiteatro follows the outline of a Roman amphitheater, though the buildings surrounding it belong to later centuries. Elsewhere, the street plan folds around churches, small squares and rows of old townhouses. Lucca’s long history as an independent city helped leave it with a distinctive collection of civic and religious buildings rather than a single dominant monument. Its skyline is modest but memorable. The Torre Guinigi rises above the roofs with trees at its summit, while church facades give different corners of the center their own character. Shops, homes and cafes occupy the spaces between the landmarks. It is worth allowing time for those ordinary streets; they explain the city as well as any one ticketed sight.

Lucca is closely associated with composer Giacomo Puccini, who was born here. Music remains visible in the city’s museums, performances and summer concerts. Lucca Comics & Games brings a very different energy in the fall, filling the center with eventgoers. Those occasions can be enjoyable, but they also change the practical experience: rooms become harder to find, and normally manageable streets can feel crowded. For a typical visit, arriving by train is simple; the station is a short walk from the walls. Drivers generally do better leaving the car outside the historic center, where access is restricted in many areas. Once inside, walking is the easiest way to explore. Bicycles work particularly well on the ramparts, though the narrow central streets call for a slower pace.