Northwestern Tuscany
For an exhilarating taste of the seaside (accompanied by the odd greedy seagull) head to the quayside where this gleaming mint-green friggitoria gastronomia (gourmet fryery) is moored. Seafood risotto, fritto misto (mixed fish deep-fried) or a mixed platter of grilled tuna, prawns, squid and the catch of the day are among the many fishy dishes cooked up by boat cooks.
Pasta, fries, beer and wine (from €3.50/10 per glass/bottle) too.
12.42 MILES
One of Italy's signature sights, the Torre Pendente truly lives up to its name, leaning a startling 3.9 degrees off the vertical. The 58m-high tower,…
12.37 MILES
Pisa's magnificent duomo was begun in 1064 and consecrated in 1118. Its striking tiered exterior, with green-and-cream marble cladding, gives onto a…
13.17 MILES
Lucca's predominantly Romanesque cathedral dates from the 11th century. Its stunning facade was constructed in the prevailing Lucca-Pisan style and…
12.32 MILES
Pisa's unusual round baptistry has one dome piled on top of another, each roofed half in lead, half in tiles, and topped by a gilt bronze John the Baptist…
24.22 MILES
At the end of the quay, a Cinque Terre panorama unfolds from the rocky terraces of a cave formerly known as Grotta Arpaia. Lord Byron once swam across the…
12.97 MILES
Lucca’s monumental mura (wall) was built around the old city in the 16th and 17th centuries and remains in almost perfect condition. It superseded two…
13.01 MILES
Fire the romantic in you with a stroll around this beautiful 17th-century palace where parts of Portrait of a Lady (1996), starring Nicole Kidman and John…
Santuario della Madonna di Montenero
26.5 MILES
The story goes like this: in 1345, the Virgin Mary appeared to a shepherd, who led her to monte nero (black mountain), a haven of brigands. Needless to…
0.38 MILES
An eye-catching sea of bright orange-and-white parasols and deckchairs polka-dot the vast stretch of sand at this vintage beach, as popular as it was when…
0.45 MILES
Behind the clock tower on the seafront, this family-friendly bathing establishment rents out slide-equipped pedalos and canoes to beach-goers and has a…
2 MILES
A couple of kilometres from the seafront is 'Carnival City', aka 16 gargantuan hangars that serve as workshops and garage space for the fantastic floats,…
3.83 MILES
In 1880 Puccini left Lucca to study at Milan's music conservatory, returning to Tuscany after his studies to rent a lakeside house in Torre del Lago, 15km…
6.38 MILES
Around the corner from the cathedral on pedestrian Via Garibaldi is this atmospheric old-world baptistry. The pair of baptismal fonts – one originally in…
6.39 MILES
Grandiose white-marble steps flank Pietrasanta's attractive cathedral, built in the 14th century on the site of an earlier church dating from 1250. Its…
6.42 MILES
Inside the convent adjoining Chiesa di Sant'Agostino, this small museum explores the evolution of modern sculpture through 700-odd bozzetti (maquettes or…
6.44 MILES
The far end of Piazza del Duomo is dominated by the 13th-century stone hulk of this deconsecrated church. Once dedicated to St Augustine, today the…