On our final day of our 10 night cruise on the Celebrity Beyond, we stopped in Livorno, Italy. While other guests headed to Pisa and Florence, we opted to take a day trip to Lucca (only about a 30 minute drive from Livorno port) and it was so worth it! Check out our full cruise itinerary and guide with tips on the Celebrity Beyond!
Lucca is a picturesque and charming town nestled in the heart of Tuscany with well-preserved medieval walls and cobblestone streets perfect for cycling. Many locals ride bikes to get around the town, so we decided to rent a couple of bikes from Bike Rental Poli (only 5 euros per hour) to explore Lucca. If you want to learn a bit about the history of the town, you can also book a guided bike tour of Lucca.
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Biking on Lucca’s City Walls
We started the bike ride on the Lucca city walls, which were about 2.5 miles around and generally flat. Trees lined the walls providing shade in the hot weather and there were turnouts for rest breaks and picnics.
The saying goes that this was the most expensive wall in the region. Back in the day, the walls took quite some time and money to build. Not soon after, when Lucca became part of Italy, the king wanted to tear down the walls because they were no longer needed to protect the town. The people of Lucca petitioned the walls to remain and ended up having to bribe the king with a large sum to keep the walls. Lucca had to spend money to build the wall and keep the wall!
We then headed down with our bikes into the town to explore. Navigating the streets and crowds were a bit tricky but definitely doable. Every where we turned, there were beautiful concertos from street performers echoing through the archways. We stopped by intricately designed cathedrals, towers, the Piazza dell’Anfiteatro (a historic Roman amphitheater turned public square), and the famous music school in Lucca.
For lunch, we enjoyed amazing homemade pastas from In Pasta – Cibo e Convivio, an authentic and unpretentious spot with high quality dishes. Try the pistachio ravioli and truffle pasta! We ended the day with creamy gelato from Gelateria Anfiteatro.
Lucca is an incredible and must see city to explore if you’re visiting Tuscany! Definitely add Lucca to your Tuscany travel bucket list!
One response to “Biking in Lucca, Italy”
[…] Because we had visited Florence twice in the past and to get there, would take about 2 hours from the port of Livorno, we decided to go to Lucca, about a 30 minute drive away. We had always considered taking the train to Lucca when we stayed in Florence but always ended up exploring other parts of Tuscany. This day trip was incredible and so much fun biking around the city! See more about our experience biking through the town of Lucca! […]