Discover 9 unforgettable things to do in Lucca in 2019. From a festival of flowers to the Summer Music Festival, Lucca has got something for every taste. You can hear a Puccini Opera, stroll on the top of the impressive city’s walls and visit the gorgeous churches the town is famous for. Not to mention the atmospheric festivals that take you back to Lucca’s Medieval past.
=> Discover Lucca’s main sights and attractions
Top things to do in Lucca in 2019
1. See Lucca in bloom
Lucca is the perfect place to be in Spring. In the last week of April the Saint Zita Fair animates the city with thousands of flowers stalls. Hundreds of plants and flowers colour the streets around Piazza San Frediano and Piazza Anfiteatro. All in memory of Saint Zita, the charitable maid who dedicated herself to feeding the poor. If you’re up for an unusual sight, her mummified head is in San Frediano Church.
The charming Pfanner Palace offers its visitors the chance to enjoy a stroll in the Baroque garden, at its best in May and June, when camellias, azaleas, and roses fill the air with their scent and the eyes with colour.
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2. A stroll on the Renaissance walls
The top of Lucca’s massive walls is a 4km long park that embraces the city, offering a perfect place for walking or cycling. You’ll find lovely spots for relaxing and enjoying the views over the city. Photographers will love the delightful spring and autumn colours.
=> Discover Charming Lucca: a photographic journey.
3. Tour with a pro photographer
How about hiring a professional photographer to record your vacation? Through Localgrapher you can book a private photographer and guide in Lucca, Italy to capture your memorable moments while visiting amazing sites. So if you’re going on a honeymoon or a family trip, why not forget the selfies and get some professional photos to mark the event.
4. Visit a historic coffee shop and take an Aperitivo Tour.
The historic cafè pasticceria Taddeucci has lovely interiors and traditional sweets, like the famous Buccellato cake. They are famous for serving the Pan Puccini, another traditional dessert from the town where the great composer was born.
If you’re after an aperitivo in Lucca but don’t know where to start, book yourself on an Aperitivo Tour of the city. Here you can stop and enjoy artisan beer, local wines and the typical cecina (a savoury flat pie made with chickpeas), as you walk through the most beautiful parts of the city. It’s a great way to get a taste of everything Lucca.
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5. Lucca Medieval Festival
This year Lucca hosts a Medieval Festival on 1st and 2nd June 2019, with jousters, tournaments and music. It’s a lively, family event that evokes the city’s Medieval past and has a wonderful atmosphere.
6. Climb the Guinigi Tower
Climbing the Guinigi Tower, one of the two Medieval towers still standing today in Lucca, is an opportunity to see the city from a different angle, and appreciate the view and the hanging garden at the very top.
7. Visit the Volto Santo
A visit to the splendid Cathedral is one of the top things to do in Lucca. This Romanesque church contains one of the symbols of the city, the Volto Santo or Holy Countenance. This ancient wooden crucifix was believed to show the real face of Christ and became a cult object that attracted a stream of pilgrims since early Medieval times.
=> Every year, on the 13th of September, Lucca dedicates a festival to the Volto Santo, a candle-lit religious parade in historic costume that starts in the San Frediano church and ends at the Duomo in Piazza San Martino. At the end there’s a fireworks display. The next day and again one week later, a large market is held in the historic centre.
8. Check out an unusual exposition
From 27th February to 18th August 2019 Lucca stages the “Mostra Arte Museo della Follia” – exploring the link between art and madness. In this great exhibition organised by Vittorio Sgarbi, a famous Italian art critic. Location: Cavallerizza di Piazzale Verdi. More information on the official site.
9. The musical side of Lucca – 2019 Festivals
For music lovers one of the best things to do in Lucca in 2019 is attending the renowned Lucca Summer Festival, a popular rock and pop music festival that attracts Italian and international bands every year in July . This year among the participants you find Elton John, New Order, Tears for Fears, Calcutta – See official site.
Fans of Giacomo Puccini, the Italian composer born right here in Lucca in 1858, should check out the “Puccini e la sua Lucca” event – from 1st april to 31st October 2019 in the Church of San Giovanni. Every day there’s a concert at 7pm, dedicated to a different theme. You can see the program and book your tickets here or call directly => see official site
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