Tuscany · Lucca
Lucca
The provincial capital ringed by four kilometers of intact sixteenth-century walls, birthplace of Puccini and the only fully walled Italian city of its scale.
By Peter Benei
Written about. No. 12.
We’ve tried
What we got up to
Restaurants, walks, swims: the things we actually did in and around Lucca, each with the piece we wrote about it.
The tordello, the meat-stuffed pasta that is Versilia telling you it isn't Lucca.
The letter
Lucca got its letter. One town at a time, free. The photo, the food, the festa.
Visiting
- Best time
- Apr–Oct
- By car
- 34 min from Pisa
- By train
- Station in the comune
- Population
- 89,002
- J11°
- F14°
- M16°
- A18°
- M23°
- J27°
- J31°
- A31°
- S26°
- O21°
- N16°
- D12°
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
Daytime air temperature, averages for 2020–2024. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.
Why come
Lucca sits on the Serchio plain, a Roman colony from 180 BC laid out in a grid still visible in the centro storico. The current walls run four kilometers around the city, twelve meters high and thirty meters wide, built between 1513 and 1648 and never put to the test of a siege. They are now a tree-lined elevated promenade circling the old city, and one of the only complete Renaissance city walls left in Italy.
The Piazza dell'Anfiteatro preserves the elliptical footprint of a second-century Roman amphitheater that once held ten thousand spectators; the ring of houses follows the arena's exact shape. The Cattedrale di San Martino holds the Volto Santo crucifix and Jacopo della Quercia's tomb of Ilaria del Carretto. Giacomo Puccini was born here in 1858. The town gets the Lucca Comics & Games festival every October-November, the largest comics convention in Europe at 300,000 attendees.
How to get there
From Pisa (PSA), about 49 min by car.
Bologna (BLQ) is about 1 h 49 min away.
By car from the center of Pisa 34 min or Florence 1 h 8 min.
There is a railway station in the comune, so you can arrive without a car.
Coming from Pisa, Florence or Bologna?
Coming by train into Livorno Centrale? Lucca is about 43 min away by road.
Every town within reach of Pisa airport.
First time driving in Italy? Read our complete manual.
What to see
Mura di Lucca
Four kilometers of intact Renaissance walls, 12 meters high and 30 meters wide, built 1513 to 1648, now an elevated tree-lined promenade.
Piazza dell'Anfiteatro
Elliptical square preserving the footprint of a second-century Roman amphitheater that once seated ten thousand.
Cattedrale di San Martino
Eleventh-century cathedral with a Romanesque-Gothic façade, the Volto Santo crucifix and Jacopo della Quercia's tomb of Ilaria del Carretto from 1406.
San Michele in Foro
Romanesque church built on the site of the Roman forum, with a four-tier marble façade and a Filippino Lippi panel inside.
Torre Guinigi
Fourteenth-century brick tower with seven holm oaks growing from its rooftop terrace, 45 meters above the centro storico.
From the guides
Where to eat and stay
Not our picks, but places the guides put their name to: a Michelin star, a Gambero Rosso fork, a Slow Food snail, a Michelin Key for the hotels. Worth a table, a counter, or a night when you pass through.
Il MecenateTrattoria
Il Mecenate has two Gambero Rosso prawns, a Slow Food snail and a spot in the Michelin Guide.
L'ImbutoRistorante
L'Imbuto has two Gambero Rosso forks (89/100), a place in L'Espresso's Top 300 and a spot in the Michelin Guide.
Antica Locanda di SestoRistorante
Antica Locanda di Sesto carries a Michelin Bib Gourmand, plus a place on Italy's historic-locali register.
8 more places the guides name in Lucca
Buca di Sant'AntonioRistorante
Buca di Sant'Antonio has a place on Italy's historic-locali register and a spot in the Michelin Guide.
GiglioRistorante
Giglio has two Gambero Rosso forks (87/100) and a spot in the Michelin Guide.
All'OlivoRistorante
All'Olivo carries a spot in the Michelin Guide.
Da Giulio in PelleriaTrattoria
Da Giulio in Pelleria carries a Gambero Rosso listing.
La DrittaTrattoria
A Gambero Rosso listing, at La Dritta.
NidaRistorante
Nida holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand.
Ristoro della Fattoria SardiRistorante
Ristoro della Fattoria Sardi carries one Gambero Rosso fork (79/100).
Hotel Albergo Villa MartaHotel
A place in the Michelin hotel guide, at Hotel Albergo Villa Marta.
Before you sit down: how to order at a restaurant, how to spot a tourist trap, what aperitivo is and how the Italian bar works.
Signature dish
Tordelli lucchesiPasta
Meat-filled pasta in a slow ragù, served at feast days alongside buccellato, the town's ring-shaped anise bread.
See every town in our catalogue with a dish of its own.
Living here
Could you live here?
Lucca is a city.
- A city of 89,002 people, and a provincial capital: the services are here, not a drive away.
- A station of its own, so the rest of Italy is a train ride away.
The rules come from our series Where to Move in Italy, written from the places we have lived: Part 1, The End of the Road · Part 2, The Small Town · Part 3, The City · Part 4, The Postcard · Part 5, The Other Half. The towns we would pick are in Part 6, The Best Towns.
- Population 89,002, up 0.6% since 2015
- Train station in the comune
- A national health service hospital in the comune · how healthcare works in Italy
- Homes in the center: €2,100 to €3,500 per m² to buy, €6.90 to €11.00 per m² a month to rent
All the numbers Common questions, designations, lists and sources.
More about living here
- A local hub
- Pharmacy in town
- High school within a 30-minute drive
- Full fibre reaches 56% of homes
- Primary school in the comune
- Earthquake zone 3, low hazard
- Pisa airport (PSA), 49 min drive, the nearest with scheduled flights
- Regional capital Florence, 1 h 8 min drive
If you are moving here
Who lives here
11% of residents are foreign citizens, most often from Romania, Sri Lanka and Albania, against 9% across Italy. 789 of them come from English-speaking countries or western and northern Europe, mostly the United Kingdom, the United States and Germany. There are 253 people over 65 for every 100 children under 15, against 216 across Italy. 17% of homes have no resident, holiday homes and empty ones counted together, against 27% across Italy. Lucca province ranks 58th of 107 in Il Sole 24 Ore's quality of life ranking for 2025.
Health and schools
There is an emergency room in the comune. The nearest major one is in Pisa, 22 km away. The nearest children's emergency room is in Camaiore, 17 km away. The nearest IB school is International School of Florence, 62 km as the crow flies. The nearest school listed as international is Bilingual School Lucca, 1 km away.
Information, not medical advice. Confirm with a professional.
Working from here
Poste Italiane has finished a coworking room in the comune, on its register of 30 September 2026. Check that it is open on Poste's booking site before you count on it.
Taxes
A home that is not your main one pays 1.06% a year in property tax at the 2025 rate, charged on the cadastral value rather than the price. A main home pays none unless it is in a luxury category. The town adds between 0.58% and 0.79% to your income tax, depending on your income, with nothing due on income under €14,500. 7% pensioner tax: this town is not in a qualifying area.
Information, not tax advice. Confirm with a professional.
What it costs
The average household in Tuscany spends about €2,410 a month, €540 of it on food, against about €2,170 across Italy. A family of three pays about €770 a year for water, on the Tuscany average. In Lucca, the provincial capital, in September 2026, an espresso cost €1.30 and a meal in a pizzeria €10.85.
Climate and risk
It is in climate zone D, on a scale from A, the warmest, to F, the coldest, and heating may run from November 1 to April 15, up to 12 hours a day, unless the mayor changes it. 12% of residents live in a zone the national maps rate high for floods, 34% in a high or medium one. 5% live in a zone rated high or very high for landslides.
These shares cover the whole comune, not any one street. Check an address on IdroGEO.
Moving from abroad? Which visa you need. Sources: ISTAT, the Ministry of Health, ISPRA, the Finance Ministry, the Ministry of Enterprise, Poste Italiane, the comuni, the IB, International Schools Database, Il Sole 24 Ore, Cittadinanzattiva.
Known for
THE WALLS
Four kilometers of intact sixteenth-century Renaissance city walls, the only complete walls of their scale left in Italy, now a tree-lined promenade.
PUCCINI
Giacomo Puccini was born in Lucca in 1858; his birthplace is a museum and the Puccini Festival runs each summer at nearby Torre del Lago.
LUCCA COMICS & GAMES
Annual comics, games and pop-culture festival running each October-November, the largest of its kind in Europe with around 300,000 attendees.
Common questions
- What is Lucca known for?
- Lucca is the provincial capital ringed by four kilometers of intact sixteenth-century walls, birthplace of Puccini and the only fully walled Italian city of its scale.
- Where is Lucca?
- Lucca is a comune in the province of Lucca, in Tuscany, at 19 meters above sea level.
- What is the nearest airport to Lucca?
- The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Pisa (PSA), about 49 min by car.
- Can you get to Lucca without a car?
- Yes. There is a railway station in the comune, so you can arrive by train.
- How long is the drive from Pisa to Lucca?
- About 34 min by car.
- When is the best time to visit Lucca?
- Best in Apr–Oct. August is the warmest month, averaging 31 degrees, and December the wettest, with about 16 rain days.
- Which other towns are like Lucca?
- Pontedera, Terni and Trento.
- How many people live in Lucca?
- 89,002 residents, by ISTAT's count on 1 January 2025.
- Is Lucca a good place to live?
- Lucca is a city of 89,002 people, the kind of place Part 3 of our Where to Move in Italy series is about. There is a national health service hospital in the comune. Full fibre reaches 56% of homes.
Tags & data designations · numbers · sources
Recognized as
The numbers
- Elevation: 19 m
- Population: 89,002
- Surface area: 185.79 km²
These figures were compiled from public directories: ISTAT, OpenStreetMap and Wikidata, and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.
The ranked lists
Lists Lucca appears in
- The 6 best towns with a serious restaurant in the province of LuccaLucca provinceserious restaurant6 towns · smallest 4,402 residents
- The best towns with a serious restaurant that sit on a walking route within 90 minutes of PisaNear Pisaon a walking routewithin 90 minserious restaurant6 towns · smallest 21,768 residents · closest 34 min away
- The best towns on a walking route that are worth a night in TuscanyTuscanyon a walking routeworth staying overnight7 towns · smallest 1,421 residents
- The 8 best towns you can reach by train in the province of LuccaLucca provinceby train8 towns · smallest 4,402 residents
- The best towns you can reach by train that have a serious restaurant within 90 minutes of PisaNear Pisaby trainwithin 90 minserious restaurant9 towns · smallest 1,287 residents · closest 8 min away
Near here, with a letter
- Written about. No. 13.
Pisa
Province: Pisa
Maritime republic on the Arno, twelve kilometers from the Ligurian Sea, with the leaning bell tower at the center of a single UNESCO-listed walled compound.
16 km away
- Written about. No. 15.
San Giuliano Terme
Province: Pisa
A thermal spa ten kilometers from Pisa, where the springs were bathed since the Romans called them Aquae Pisanae.
26 min by car
- Written about. No. 2.
Camaiore
Province: Lucca
The Versilia commune that runs from the mountains to the sea, a Roman Campus Maior on the Via Francigena with a beach at its western end.
32 min by car
The letter
Lucca got its letter. One town at a time, free. The photo, the food, the festa.
Paid plans, the moving year and the books are on the membership page.