Lucca is situated just 30 minutes or (31km) from la Fucina. The route to Lucca is clearly signposted. This ancient walled city is a relatively undiscovered tourist site. This beautiful city has all that you can ask from excellent restaurants, Tasteful and upmarket shops to ancient architectural gems. However, what you will love is the atmosphere, this is a medieval city which still lives and breathes.
Lucca has one particularly stunning feature, the ancient walls and ramparts which ring the old city. These walls were built in the 16th Century for defence, in the 19th century these were transformed into a tree lined avenue which is used as a public park and recreation area for local inhabitants and visitors.

Worth seeing are the churches and cathedrals; San Michele in Foro and San Frediano and the Duomo (cathedral) San Martino.

The shopping street, Via Fillungo has most of the tasteful shops. The Torre Guinigi (14th Century) may be climbed to view the city amongst the stone oaks planted at the top of the tower. The Piazza Anfiteatro  is a oval piazza which is built on the site of the original Roman Ampitheatre and now houses a number of bar/restaurants and boutique shops.

Lucca is the birth place of Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924) and therefore one finds many operas performed in the city. Further, there is always something for modern music lovers with regular music festivals.

Lucca is situated 19 m. above sea level on an alluvial plateau, to the left of the Serchio river, not far from the Tyrrhenian coast. An important road junction in Roman times, Lucca was the capital of the Lombard Duchy of Tuscia and subsequently (8th century) the seat of the Carolingian Marquisate of Tuscany. Established as a free municipality (early 12th century), the town grew in political and economical importance, though it was often troubled by internal disputes and rivalry with Pisa. In the first half of the 14th century, it was under various Signorie and in 1369 it became a Republic remaining independent, except during the Guinigi Signorie (1400-1430) and the Napoleonic period, until 1847 when it was included in the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, from then on sharing its fortunes.