Lucca

Renting a bicycle and pedalling the full 4.2 km circuit of Lucca's Renaissance walls is the city's signature activity. The flat, tree-shaded path atop the ramparts offers a unique elevated perspective over both the red rooftops inside and the Tuscan countryside outside.

Porta San Pietro is the most monumental of Lucca's six surviving city gates, piercing the southern stretch of the Renaissance walls. Its double arched entranceway flanked by rusticated pilasters serves as the most dramatic threshold into the walled city.

The Lucca Summer Festival is an annual series of open-air concerts held in Piazza Napoleone throughout July. World-class artists — from the Rolling Stones and Elton John to Ennio Morricone and Sting — have performed against the backdrop of the illuminated Palazzo Ducale.

The Mura di Lucca are a remarkably intact set of Renaissance-era fortification walls encircling the historic centre. Stretching 4.2 km in circumference, the tree-lined ramparts were completed in the 17th century and never saw military action, transforming over time into Lucca's most beloved public promenade.

Lucca Comics & Games is Europe's largest comic book and gaming convention, transforming the entire walled city into a festival ground each late October/early November. Over 500,000 visitors descend on Lucca for five days of anime, manga, tabletop gaming, cosplay, and graphic novel culture.

The Basilica di San Frediano is one of Lucca's oldest and most striking churches, immediately recognisable by the enormous 13th-century golden mosaic of the Ascension on its upper façade. The interior houses romanesque carved capitals and a remarkable 12th-century baptismal font.

Torre Guinigi is a 44.25-metre medieval tower crowned by a cluster of seven holm oak trees growing from the rooftop. Built in the 14th century by the powerful Guinigi merchant family, it is Lucca's most iconic landmark and offers panoramic views over the red rooftops to the Apuan Alps.

Piazza dell'Anfiteatro is an elliptical public square built on the ruins of a 2nd-century Roman amphitheatre. Its distinctive oval shape, defined by a continuous ring of medieval buildings in ochre and terracotta hues, makes it one of Italy's most photographable piazzas.

The Museo del Fumetto (Comic Museum) celebrates Italy's rich comic strip and illustration tradition, housed in a restored medieval building. Its permanent collection traces Italian comics from early 20th-century satirical magazines through Disney Italia to contemporary graphic novels.

Palazzo Mansi houses the Museo Nazionale di Lucca's pinacoteca (painting gallery) within lavishly decorated 17th-century salons. The ornate rooms — with original silk wall coverings, frescoed ceilings, and gilded furniture — are as much the attraction as the art collection itself.

Villa Reale di Marlia is a royal estate set in 16 hectares of landscaped gardens and parkland just 8 km north of Lucca. The gardens combine a formal 17th-century Italian giardino with a Romantic-era English landscape park, creating one of Tuscany's finest garden ensembles.

Lu.C.C.A. (Lucca Center of Contemporary Art) is housed in a 15th-century palazzo and presents rotating exhibitions of modern and contemporary art. Past shows have featured Banksy, Andy Warhol, Keith Haring, and Jean-Michel Basquiat.

Piazza San Michele marks the site of the ancient Roman forum and remains the social heart of Lucca. Dominated by the towering façade of San Michele in Foro, the square is ringed with historic palazzi and bustles with café life.

Torre delle Ore (Tower of the Hours) is Lucca's tallest tower at 50 metres, housing a hand-wound clock mechanism dating to 1754. Climbing its 207 wooden steps rewards visitors with unobstructed views over the walled city and surrounding hills.

Museo Nazionale di Villa Guinigi occupies the Gothic villa once belonging to the same Guinigi family as the famous tower. The collection traces Lucca's artistic output from Etruscan and Roman artefacts through medieval sculpture and Renaissance paintings.

The Acquedotto del Nottolini is a striking neoclassical aqueduct stretching over 3 km from the springs of the Guamo valley into the city. Its 459 arches marching across open countryside create a miniature Roman-aqueduct landscape surprisingly close to the city.

Palazzo Pfanner is an elegant 17th-century palace housing a Baroque Italian garden and a collection of medical instruments. The garden, framed by lemon trees and 18th-century statuary, was famously used as a filming location for Jane Campion's The Portrait of a Lady.

The Quartiere di Santa Maria is the quieter southwestern quadrant of the walled city, centred around the cathedral and the city's southern gates. Less visited than the northern area around Piazza Anfiteatro, it retains an authentic residential character.

The Orto Botanico di Lucca is a university botanical garden founded in 1820 by Duchess Marie Louise of Bourbon. Located within the city walls, it preserves centuries-old trees, medicinal herb collections, and a small lake with aquatic species native to Tuscany.

Lucca's Centro Storico is one of Italy's best-preserved medieval city centres, entirely enclosed within the Renaissance walls. A labyrinth of narrow lanes, hidden squares, and ancient towers rewards aimless wandering.