Lucca is a delightful city with a beautifully contained old town in which it is ideal to wonder at random and stumble across the many sites. A must is to take a promenade or cycle along the great wall and view both the old town inside and the modern town outside.
The town is a grid of Roman roads contained within mighty mediaeval ramparts. It is home to Puccini, chamber music, Romanesque churches, museums and monuments. The flat landscape of Lucca and the narrow winding lanes create the perfect conditions for commuting by bicycle as many locals and tourists do. The Piazza del Mercato supports what survives of the ancient Roman amphitheatre. Mediaeval houses frame the square and low archways provide the gateways through which Roman gladiators would have marched.
Unusually for cities in the region, the walls around the old town have remained intact as the city expanded and modernized. As the wide walls lost their military importance, they became a pedestrian promenade ringing the old town with a different species of trees lining each of the sides.
Some of the city's essential sights include the Duomo, San Michele, San Frediano, Museo Nazionale Guinigi and Torre Guinigi. Casa di Pucini makes an interesting visit for opera lovers, as this 15th century house is a shrine to one of Italy's greatest composers.
There are many expensively built mediaeval basilica style churches in Lucca with rich arcaded facades and campaniles, a few as old as the 8th century.
Some other places worth visiting are:
Some of the city's essential sights include the Duomo, San Michele, San Frediano, Museo Nazionale Guinigi and Torre Guinigi. Casa di Pucini makes an interesting visit for opera lovers, as this 15th century house is a shrine to one of Italy's greatest composers.
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