Tuscany Umbria Vacation

Lucca: a beautiful city, famous as a stop on the Via Francigena, its centre surrounded by walls, constructed in the 2nd century BC and still perfectly preserved, on which one can walk or cycle.

There are many monuments to visit including the cathedral, the church of San Michele al Foro and the roman amphitheatre and a very busy calendar of festivals to enjoy: the Lucca Music Festival in April/May; the Estate Musicale Lucchese and the International Festival of Villas; the Lucca Summer Festival in July.

The city is surrounded by flatlands, known as the Lucca Plain. Outside the city there is a lot of wildlife to see with the River Serchio Park, where one can make excursions on foot, on horseback, by bicycle, canoe and kayak. In the Park at Villa Carrara, San Martino in Colle near Capannori, one can marvel at the Quercia delle Streghe, the 800 year-old “witches’ oak tree”.

The upper valley of the Serchio runs through the Garfagnana, the wooded region between the Apennines and the Apuan Alps, a kingdom of elves and witches according to the folklore of the area.

This area comprises the municipalities of the province of Lucca, with the exception of  those on the Versilian coast: Altopascio, Bagni di Lucca, Barga, Borgo a Mozzano, Camporgiano, Capannori, Careggine, Castelnuovo di Garfagnana, Castiglione di Garfagnana, Coreglia Antelminelli, Fabbriche di Vallico, Fosciandora Gallicano, Giuncugnano, Lucca, Minucciano, Molazzana, Montecarlo, Pescaglia, Piazza al Serchio, Pieve Fosciana, Porcari, San Romano in Garfagnana, Sillano, Vagli di Sotto, Vergemoli, Villa Basilica, Villa Collemandina.