Lucca Travel Forum

Hi,

I'm going to be staying in a villa in Lucca for two weeks with family in mid-August. I'm very excited but concerned about several issues at the same time.

I'm in my mid-20's and this is the first time I'll be traveling abroad. While I can't wait to make the trip, I'm also concerned that I will feel "trapped" staying for two full weeks in Lucca and I'd like some suggestions.

I want to experience as much as possible.

I don't want to get stuck in the typical touristy routine; I will be visiting all the museums and cathedrals and cultural points of interest... but I don't want to be herded through tourist lines every day. I want a broader experience.

I'm also worried about getting stuck with my family for two-full weeks in a countryside town.

I know that Florence and Tuscany are both about 1.5 hours away and I'm curious if there any public transit out to these places on a regular basis?

How easy would it be to make the commute and what other options do I have for getting around on the cheap/affordable and convenient end?

If I wanted to spend a couple of late nights in Florence, taking in the nightlife... how much of a problem would it be for me to return to Lucca in the late/early hours?

Are there any options for cheap overnight stays in Florence, if I decide to spend a night so as not to compromise plans that might come into play? Either hostels or otherwise that are comfortable and safe and convenient?

Any recommendations, thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Also, since I will be staying in Lucca for two full weeks, I was curious about the local music scene...

Are there any good Italian bands that I should check out and is there much of a rock n roll scene happening in the region?

Are there any good club/bar venues for live music (garage rock, blues, etc), festival happenings, or record shops in the area to check out?

That's another thing I'd really like to do while over there!

Any resources for live music - forums or otherwise - that might have a database of live shows or calender, would be incredibly helpful to me!

Also, what about a good rep cinema around Lucca or Florence that either shows foreign language screenings w/ subtitles or English films -- euro b-movies and 60s new wave film, classics & golden age cinema etc?


These would all be very helpful to me in planning my trip before leaving.

Anything else that might be useful to a "single" traveler (well I am staying with family, but I'd like to go off on my own and explore the area, meet other young travelers and find my own adventures) in his mid-twenties -student- who will be spending a few weeks in this region...?


Any and all help would be greatly appreciated!

Sorry - I just want to add that any info re: the local art/music scene, festivals, cinema, fringe events, etc. are all things I am interested in learning about.

But I could really use some advice on how easy it would be to commute back & forth between Florence and other cities, being situated in Lucca, as well as meeting other young student-types while over there.

I just don't want to find myself -- while in Europe for the very first time -- trapped doing nothing on a beach or by a swimming pool every day with my family.

Thanks in advance!!!

Lucca is a very small town, but has excellent transport links to anywhere else in the region. Once you're in Pisa (approx. a half hour) there are fast and frequent trains up and down the coast, and from Florence there are buses and trains to anywhere in Tuscany and beyond.
Unfortunately, a late night trip back from Florence to Lucca isn't on, so you'd better plan on staying overnight in those cases.
It's worth being prepared for the fact that mid-August is peak holiday season for Italy and the rest of Europe, so trains will be often be very crowded, and any long distance trips you decide to make should be booked ahead unless you want to risk standing.
By the way, Tuscany isn't 1.5 hours away---Lucca is IN Tuscany.

Lucca is very plesant, but perhaps not for 2 weeks. Train transport is excellent the only 'difficult" thing might be getting to countryside locations not served by rail. The inner city is walled and you can walk everywhere.
Mid-summer everyone will be at the beach - catch the train to Livorno - you can also "do" the Cinque Terre...should be plenty going on there.
Learn some Italian before you go and do some research on the trenitalia site so you know where the trains do run, timetables, reservation requirements etc
These sites should be helpful too
http://www.provincia.lucca.it/uk/index.asp
http://www.comune.lucca.it/eventi/eventi.htm....summer festival looks good...I wish I was going !

for summer night light great bands playing (rock, heavy metal, punk rock etc) also check with Livorno and Pisa (good train connections)
also if you are into discos you can take a train to Viareggio

I live in Livorno and I know there are bands playing everynight in Fortezza, it's an old fortress where everynnight there's good music, beer, lots of young people and entrance is free :)

Thanks for all the helpful tips everyone!


It seems like the biggest issue for me will be public transit in the late evenings/nights and getting back to and from the villa after hours. I'm sure I'll figure everything out in regards to this once I'm in Italy and understand the bus routes and schedules. Perhaps I'll just have to spend a couple overnights in hostiles when venturing out of city limits, if the family doesn't mind..

For those of you who've stayed in Lucca for extended periods of time (a week or more) - did you enjoy your time there and what were the main points of attraction or interest for you & how was the majority of your time spent during the days (beaches, etc)?

The one very nice thing about being situated in a town/village/city for a couple of weeks when abroad, is that I assume you feel a lot less like a tourist passing through and "consuming" the culture and way of life, as you do feel a part of it and assimilated.

There's just so much to see and do in Italy and I hope that Lucca doesn't begin to feel restricting and isolated from everything else after two full weeks in the countryside. As someone else mentioned, it is a beautiful place... but two entire weeks might be pushing it.

Anyways, could anyone recommend any cool record shops in the region?

I'm aware of supposedly a great one called 'Rock Bottom' in the old town of Florence, but any other tips in this regard would be appreciated. I'm an obsessive record collector and I'm really looking forward to checking out the scene while I'm over there.

Also, can anyone please tell me if there are any rep or arthouse cinemas in Lucca that screen American or subtitled foreign/Euro films? Since I'm going to be spending lots of late nights in the city, this seems like it would be a great advantage, if one exists.

Apart from that, how would you recommend I spend most of my days?

I imagine the scenery will be incredibly lovely, but I'm not very much partial to lying on beaches all day long. I find that boring and would much rather be doing some 'activity' or sightseeing. Though I guess I'd probably meet a lot of younger travelers and locals that way.

Does Lucca have a strong tourist or student focus, or is it mainly older population & more traditional?


Thanks again for all the help, I can't wait to board the plane already and set off!!!

Most students are in Pisa and Livorno, Lucca is very conservative and mainly kids from Lucca hang out in Viareggio/Forte dei Marmi...