A view of the Serchio River Valley

The north of Tuscany is perhaps the least explored with very few non-Italians holidaying on the resort-lined coast of the Riviera della Versilia, and even fewer of these tourists penetrating inland to the mountains of the Alpi Apuane. Although Lucca is more visited than these surrounding areas it is still strangely a secondary consideration for most tourists.

Lucca is probably the most graceful of Tuscany's provincial capitals, set inside huge Renaissance walls with large bastions and gardens atop; allowing the perfect promenade. The streets are dotted with Palazzi and occasional towers, also with a few church squares.

Lucca also lies at the heart of one of Italy's richest agricultural regions, situated on the river Serchio in a fertile plain, and has prospered since Roman times. Today the city is still reckoned to be one of the wealthiest in Tuscany.

Lucca is also known as the town of the villas, with two being particularly famous: Villa Bottini and Villa Guinigi. Visiting all of the villas would be a daunting task considering that they represent, together with the walled town, the most important art period of Lucca. There are more than three hundred villas, from small to large, built over more than four centuries by local people across the countryside and on the hills surrounding Lucca.


If you would like to view our holiday accommodation in Lucca then please click on Lucca Villas and Apartments

To find out more about other regions in Italy, the regional food and wine, people, geography and history as well as specific property offers and other information then use this link to Italy Villas and Apartments