Lucca, Italy – I Went for a Meal And Found Much More

Last Updated on February 16, 2026

One of the most wonderful aspects of traveling is finding the unexpected. Based on a newspaper article that assured me I’d find some of the best Italian food in Lucca, Italy, we set off to explore this oft overlooked city in Tuscany. We found the food, of course, but also much more…..

Estimated reading time: 6 minutes

By Jim Ferri

Many travelers to Italy only visit the “big name” spots: Rome, Venice, Florence, Bologna, the Amalfi, etc. Lucca, however, is a wonderful Italian town in Tuscany that relatively few travelers know. That’s unfortunate, since it differs from it’s siblings in many ways.

It first caught my attention years ago while reading an article in The New York Times that rated the cuisine in Lucca, Italy as “the best in Tuscany.” I jotted a mental note to seek it out the next time I was in Tuscany, or, in fact, anywhere near Tuscany.

Years later, in western Tuscany with my wife, daughter and son-in-law, I had my opportunity. Driving north from Pisa, we turned eastward towards Lucca in search of a meal.

In addition to wonderful food, we also discovered a feast of medieval streets and buildings scattered about the city. In fact, Lucca’s street grid still follows the pattern laid out by the Romans in 180 BC.

Lucca’s Renaissance Ramparts

Lucca, Italy lies in the hills near the Ligurian Sea west of Florence, just a bit north of Pisa.

Lucca is a beautiful little city, one of the hidden gems of Italy, completely encircled by walls built during the Renaissance. It’s one of the few, or perhaps the only, Italian city with such intact ramparts.

The broad huge walls are about 100 feet (330m) wide at their base and about 40 feet (12m) high with 11 bastions and four gates. Made into a park in the 19^th century, they are a great place to stroll or bike and enjoy beautiful views of the city. There are bike-rental shops in the area.

More importantly, however, the walls also keep traffic out of the old city, making Lucca a great city to explore on foot.

Exploring the Old Renaissance City

We parked our rental in a car lot near Porta Vittorio Emanuele. There we found a billboard city map that helped us plot our walk through the old city. Passing through the gate, we were soon following Via Emanuele deep into old Lucca.

Via Emanuele turned out to be colorful and surprisingly quiet with many people either slipping in and out of its myriad shops or relaxing in a gaggle of outdoor cafés.

It was all so La Dolce Vita-ish, and just a small taste of Lucca’s little café society. We considered stopping for espresso or a drink, but being short on time continued onward to see what else awaited.

San Michele in Foro

We were soon deep into Lucca’s marvelous old city near San Michele in Foro. San Michele is a basilica built over the Roman Forum (thus the “in Foro”). Famous for the intricate twisted and carved columns on its Pisan-Romanesque façade, the church is one of the most beautiful in Lucca.

Nearby is the Puccini Museum and birthplace of the composer Giacomo Puccini, the composer of La Boheme, Madama Butterfly and other renowned works. Encircling it and the basilica are numerous picturesque side streets each worth a place on a Hollywood set.

Wandering a Maze of Streets

Since we became smitten with wandering the city’s picturesque lanes, we never visited its Piazza dell’Anfiteatro. The piazza is an oval-shaped square built atop a 2nd-century Roman amphitheater that was sacked for centuries to repurpose the marble for the city’s churches and palaces. Instead, we delved down side streets into little piazzas, revealing a small church or clutch of shops. And always a cafe or two.

We were continually drawn along by the sensuality of the little streets and their variety of shops, mostly ignoring the historic buildings and churches. In one tree-coiffed piazza, we came across a small merry-go-round surrounded by children playing in the square. It apparently was part of a little carnival that had moved into town for a few days.

The Meal

As the sun slowly set, we began our search for a restaurant, to me always one of the most pleasant aspects of a day in any Italian city. Lucca, I knew, would be special.

Moseying along the old streets beyond the pedestrian-only zone we finally found one that satisfied our aggregated palates and chose an outdoor table on the sidewalk.

Only a block or so away from the old city’s oasis of quiet, we had an excellent meal, despite the serenade of motor scooters and cars roaring by our little sliver of sidewalk.

Nevertheless, we enjoyed a delicious meal, appropriately capped off with a passeggiata atop Lucca’s ancient ramparts as we sauntered back to Porta Vittorio Emanuele.

If You Go:

Italian Government Tourist Office
www.italia.it/en