Things to do in Lucca
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La Corte dei Vini
Strategically placed between Piazza Napoleone and Piazza San Michele, this friendly ‘enoteca e picola cucina’ (wine bar and small kitchen) is a great choice for an aperitivo or casual meal. It specialises in rustic dishes, including tortelli Lucchesi (meat ravioli) and minestra di farro della Garbagnana (soup made with spelt). Get here early to score a choice table on the front terrace.
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Volto Santo
Lucca-born sculptor and architect Matteo Civitali (1436-1501) spent most of his life working on churches and villas in and around in his hometown and refused to be influenced by his counterparts in Florence. He is considered the leading exponent of a strictly Lucchese Renaissance art, and he designed both the Cattedrale di San Martino pulpit and the 15th-century tempietto (small temple) in the north aisle that contains the Volto Santo.
Legend has it that this simply fashioned image of a life-sized Christ on a wooden crucifix, in fact dated to the 11th century, was carved by Nicodemus, who witnessed the crucifixion. A major object of pilgrimage, it's carried in procession…
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Casa di Puccini
Just north of the Piazza Cittadella is Casa di Puccini, the modest house where one of the 20th century's greatest composers was born in 1858. He lived there until studies at Milan's music conservatory beckoned him aged 22.
Inside, everyday objects tell the tale of the composer's life. Specs and pen lay poised on the desk next to the Steinway piano on which Puccini, the last in a line of celebrated Lucca musicians, wrote much of Turandot (1926) while staying at his seaside villa in Viareggio in 1921. The opera, unfinished when he died, was the last before throat cancer got the better of him after last-ditch surgery in Brussels failed in 1924.
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Chiesa e Battistero dei SS Giovanni e Reparata
The 12th-century interior of the deconsecrated Chiesa e Battistero dei SS Giovanni e Reparata is a hauntingly atmospheric setting for early evening opera recitals staged by Puccini e la sua Lucca, which are held at 7pm every evening from mid-March to October, and on every evening except Thursday from November to mid-March. Professional singers present a one-hour programme of arias and duets dominated by the music of Puccini. Tickets are available from the church between 10am and 6pm.
In the north transept of the church is a baptistry crowning an archaeological area comprising five building levels going back to the Roman period.
Today's church is largely the 12th-century …
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Palazzo Pfanner
The privately owned Palazzo Pfanner is a 17th-century palace where parts of Portrait of a Lady (1996) with Nicole Kidman and John Malkovich were shot. Take the outdoor staircase to the frescoed and furnished piano nobile (main reception room), and then visit the ornate 18th-century garden, the only one of substance within the city walls. (Felix Pfanner, may God rest his soul, was an Austrian émigré who first brought beer to Italy – and brewed it in the mansion’s cellars.)
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Trattoria da Leo
Ask a local to recommend a lunch spot, and they will inevitably nominate this bustling trattoria. The clientele of tourists, students, workers and ladies taking a break from shopping have one thing in common: an appreciation for the cheap food and friendly ambience on offer. The food ranges from acceptable to delicious, with stand-out dishes including the vitello tonnato (cold veal with a tuna and caper sauce) and torta di fichi e noci (fig and walnut tart). No credit cards.
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Basilica di San Frediano
The facade of the Basilica di San Frediano has a unique (and much-restored) 13th-century mosaic in a markedly Byzantine style. The main feature of the beautiful basilica’s interior is the Fontana Lustrale, a 12th-century baptismal font decorated with sculpted reliefs, just to the right as you enter. Note, too, the fine capitals, many recycled from the nearby Roman amphitheatre.
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Cattedrale di San Martino
Lucca’s mainly Romanesque Cattedrale di San Martino, dedicated to San Martino, dates to the 11th century. The exquisite facade was constructed in the prevailing Lucca-Pisan style and designed to accommodate the pre-existing campanile. Each of the multitude of columns in its upper part is different. The reliefs over the left doorway of the portico are believed to be by Nicola Pisano.
The interior was rebuilt in the 14th and 15th centuries with a Gothic flourish. Lucca-born sculptor and architect Matteo Civitali designed both the pulpit and the 15th-century tempietto (small temple) in the north aisle that contains the Volto Santo. Legend has it that this simply fashioned …
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Chiesa di San Michele in Foro
This dazzling Romanesque church was built on the site of its 8th-century precursor over a period of nearly 300 years, beginning in the 11th century. The exquisite wedding-cake facade is topped by a figure of the Archangel Michael slaying a dragon. Inside, don’t miss Filippino Lippi’s 1479 painting of Sts Helen, Jerome, Sebastian and Roch (complete with plague sore) in the south transept.
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Passeggiata della Mura
Lucca’s biggest attraction is its 12m-high city walls, built snug around the old city in the 16th and 17th centuries, defended by 126 canons and crowned with a wide, silky-smooth footpath just made for a leafy Passeggiata della Mura. Be it strolling, cycling, running or rollerblading, this legendary 4km-long circular footpath above the city proffers shot after shot of local Lucchesi life.
Be it strolling, cycling, running or rollerblading, this legendary 4km-long circular footpath above the city proffers shot after shot of local Luccese life.
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Locanda di Bacco
It is strictly cucina lucchese e Toscana - albeit of a refreshingly creative nature - at this fine specimen of a restaurant, grandly situated in an old building, with marble-topped tables. Pappardelle with hare, gnocchi with gorgonzola, honey and nuts, or a side order of cabbage cooked in red pepper wine, garlic and oil are among the many dishes with an imaginative twist.
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Locanda Buatino
A Lucca legend, this age-old trattoria - it is reckoned to be Lucca's oldest - with a fun 'n' funky air of retro wafting through it, has the added advantage of being a short walk from the madding crowds, outside the city walls. Chef Angelo chalks up a different menu daily - cionca (veal's head) is a speciality. Live jazz sets the place jiving Monday, October to May.
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Machiavelli
A much-loved Lucca favourite alongside Leo, this funky old-fashioned osteria has a definite retro air to it. Walls are pea-green, the bar is painted lavender-blue and the clientele is staunchly loyal, local, fun and of all ages. There is live music some nights and the cuisine - salted cod with leeks, chickpea soup and grilled pork ribs etc - ooze natural flavour.
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Caffè di Simo
This atmospheric Art Nouveau cafe-bar-restaurant was once patronised by Puccini and his coterie (the maestro would tickle the ivories of the piano at the entrance to the dining area). These days, locals stand at the bar for coffee or aperitivo and sit at the tables to enjoy their selection from the daily €10 lunch buffet.
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Osteria Baralla
Dine beneath magnificent red-brick vaults at this busy osteria, inevitably packed to the rafters by noon. Rich in tradition (the place dates to 1860) and local specialities, its menu highlights include soup with new-season olive oil, salt cod and chickpeas, bollito misto on Thursday and roast pork on Saturday.
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Gigi Trattoria
Buzzing by noon, this 1950s cantina on the old market square - revamped by three young Lucchesi in the new millennium - is another hot address among Lucchese. Recipes are plucked straight out of grandma's cookbook, local contemporary art to buy hangs on the walls and simplicity is the predominant philosophy driving the place.
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Taddeucci
This pasticceria (pastry shop) is where the traditional Lucchesi treat of buccellato was created in 1881. A ring-shaped loaf made with flour, sultanas, aniseed seeds and sugar, it’s the perfect accompaniment to a mid-morning or -afternoon espresso (coffee and slice of buccellato, €3.50).
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Buca di Sant’Antonio
This atmosphere-laden restaurant dates to 1782 and is an outstanding spot for tasting top-notch Italian wines. Its flattering lighting and banquette seating make it a favourite destination for romantic dinners, and its standards of service are unmatched in the city. Bookings essential.
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Prosciutto & Melone
Next door to Osteria Baralla, it's hardly haute cuisine but the fine choice of pizzas and salads alongside the mainstream primi and secondi ensure an easy midday refuel. Sit within the dark-green stable doors or snag a table on the shaded street outside.
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Dianda Pasticceria
Cakes, pastries, puff-pastry apple strudels, meringues and a multitude of other killer calorie-rich sweet treats are baked at Dianda Pasticceria, a delightful cake shop, within picnic distance of Lucca's botanical gardens, and with coffee counter to down an espresso standing up.
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Via Fillungo
Threading its way through the medieval heart of the old city is Lucca's busiest street, Via Fillungo. It's a fascinating mix of smart boutiques, restaurants and buildings of great charm and antiquity - often occupying the same space; just look up, above the street-level bustle.
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I Santi Vineria
A wine shop with a few tables and large green umbrellas in front, this is a tranquil spot to sip wine under the watchful eye of Madonna and child. Tasty morsels served are as predictable as a cheese platter and as unpredictable as stewed octopus. Wi-fi hotspot!
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Caffetteria San Colombano
Enviably nestled in one of the bastions of the city wall, this stylish café is as much dining as drinking spot. The interior is modern and a mix of styles; outside, with its wooden decking and umbrella seating, is perfect retreat-from-the-sun territory.
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Ristorante Olivo
Known for its fresh fish, which is brought in every day from Viareggio, the Olivo epitomises old-fashioned Lucchesi dining. The wine list is excellent (with Tuscan drops dominating) and the menu balances classic Tuscan choices with seafood specialities.
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Piazza Anfiteatro
Just east of Via Fillungo is one of Tuscany's loveliest squares, oval-shaped Piazza Anfiteatro, so-called after the one-time Roman amphitheatre. Today houses, pavement cafés and restaurants now stand, jostling for space on the lovely ellipse.
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