Lucca, Italy - A Special Place
Words and Images by Colin J Campbell
Nestled deep in the Tuscan countryside, not far from the Ligurian coast, Lucca is frequently overshadowed by the hotspots of nearby Florence and Pisa. Significant though those high-volume locations are, they do not have what the ancient town centre of Lucca has. Lucca is a special place that has drawn me back many times. A place I carry with me, in my inner self. A joyful, beautiful, and unique place that furnishes me with happy travel memories and a longing to return.
Lucca is the perfect regional, Tuscan town, layered with history and culture. An Etruscan settlement, and onetime provincial capital of Julius Caesar, it was also a powerful republic of the Renaissance. Gifted to one of Napoleon Bonaparte’s sisters, Elisa, it was later the birthplace of the composer Puccini, and is steeped in history.
Explore the heart of the old town, and you can stop at any of the cities many cafes in one of the grand squares, to watch others go by. La bella vita does not have to be sought in Lucca, just sit for a while and it will come to you. The night-time experience is equally rich with an array of restaurants and bars, retaining the authentic Italian energy, and vibrant chatter of life. The local Lucchese cuisine has many famous dishes, - try Tordelli Versiliesi – and the discerning traveller will not want for a good meal, at whatever level of sophistication they choose.
Experience stunning palazzos, beautiful churches, and great towers, the most famous of which – the Giglio tower - boasts an iconic tree-topped garden. Gain a vantage above roof level and you will see a chaotic medley of spindle like steeples and terracotta tiles, a cacophony of grandeur, beauty, and decay. Buildings in the Classical, Medieval, Baroque and Renaissance styles, all jostle chaotically for space and attention within the constrained and erratic street plan. Getting lost in ancient Lucca is inevitable - modest though it is - and yet being lost, is no hardship. It’s actually a great joy, a timeless luxury to be savoured. Only after walking the disorientating Medieval streets, stumbling across beautiful squares and Roman amphitheatres, will you appreciate the escape from modern time and place that Lucca gifts you.
Lucca is chilled, never reaching the madness of other travel hotspots. Big enough to get lost in, small enough to be intimate. I’ve never felt overwhelmed in Lucca. For one thing, you are only ever a few hundred meters from the city’s impressive walls. Mighty buttresses designed to keep armies at bay, now guard against hostile traffic, making this town a protected zone for purely cultural incursions. These bastions have also protected this jewel from development, safeguarding a time capsule, that has preserved its own enduring character. Impressive in scale, immaculate in preservation, they are the finest renaissance fortifications in Europe. They confer to an already blessed Lucca, its uniquely protected essence.
Yet, Lucca’s great buttresses are not repressive, they are joyful. Running over 4 kilometres long and standing many meters wide, the walls of Lucca now serve as a beautiful promenade and wonderful nature parkland. A stroll around their structure allows locals and tourists to socialise, exercise, and promenade under green, oak-lined avenues. The view of the surrounding hills is breath-taking. Whether renting a bike or undertaking a passeggiata with gelato in hand, the pace of Lucca is rarely faster than you are willing to take it.
This and much more is Lucca: compact, ancient, and highly cultured. It’s a special place. Many travel destinations are impressive, far fewer leave an impression that stays with you, changes, and nurtures you.