Overview of the category: Province of Lucca

Lucca, dream destination in Tuscany

On the route through Tuscany, Lucca is one of the most diverse in its region.

The area was once swampy. It had formed in the river veins of the Auser, today's Serchios. Many different peoples in the area of ​​today's Tuscany. There were settlements as early as the Bronze Age. The Celts were here. Archaeological finds trace the origins of the city back to the Etruscans, who lived in the 8th century BC. C. were here, then the Goths and Lombards.

Around 180 B.C. C. became the places Lucca, Pisa and Luna Roman colonies. In 560 AD, Bishop Frediano had the river diverted. So the area was made cultivable for agriculture. The city really flourished in the 13th century AD. This was due to the textile industry and its trade in colorful silks, which developed in the 11th century AD. In 1861 the province was annexed to the Kingdom of Italy.

Nowadays holidaymakers come to these beautiful areas. Everything is exciting and makes you want to enjoy culture and history, landscape, nature and active holidays. In the north the province borders the Apennine mountain range. In the south it is still somewhat hilly, while the landscape towards the coast is flat.

Massaciuccoli Lake

In the south of the province of Lucca, Lake Massaciuccoli is considered a popular travel and excursion destination for those in need of relaxation. There is a great hiking trail around the lake. There is a museum along the way that provides interesting information about the area's wildlife.

Worth seeing is a Roman villa with beautiful mosaic floors and a thermal bath from the 1st century BC. C., discovered in the 18th century. The house of the Italian composer Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924) is located on the lake.

Puccini- was inspired in the province of Lucca

Puccini was inspired by the lakeside landscape during the summer months, although he hermetically sealed doors and windows when working so that he could make his corrections undisturbed. Here he composed his great works such as Tosca, Madame Butterfly or Boheme or Turandot. His summer house is now a museum. An annual festival is celebrated here in his honor. Over 40000 Puccini fans come in July and August and enjoy his famous operas in the theater on the shores of Lake Massaciuccoli.

Beach and bathing tourism

Beach and bathing tourism is an important economic sector in the province. The first bathing establishments appeared in the middle of the 19th century. The Versilia area was already attracting holidaymakers from all over Europe thanks to its mild climate and the opportunities for various outdoor activities on land and in the water. The Landscape of Versilia is endlessly diverse: extensive dunes, rugged mountains, shining marble mountains, green olive groves. The Versilia River flows from the limestone of the Apuan Alps, crosses the hilly landscapes and flows into the Ligurian Sea. The Versilia coast is only about 30 to 40 kilometers from town Lucca . Viareggio is one of the most popular and luxurious seaside resorts. Long and fine sandy beaches characterize the coast of the province of Lucca in Tuscany. Holidaymakers also like to look for the seaside resorts of Torre del Lago, Marina di Pietrasanta as well as Lido di Camaiore and Forte dei Marmi .

In the west, the province of Lucca borders the Ligurian Sea, on the other side the Apuan Alps form the backdrop, whose mountains are over 1800 m high. The highest mountain, Monte Pisanino, is 1946 meters high.

The ones in are exciting Carrara marble quarries, which are a popular destination for mountaineers and hikers. The towns of Castelnuevo di Gafagnana and Barga, a place known in the Middle Ages for its magnificent silks, are beautifully situated between the Apuan Alps and the Apenines in the Gafagnana mountain landscape.

Pilgrimage route 'Via Francigena'

The pilgrimage route 'Via Francigena' is popular and leads through the Province of Lucca and past the provincial capital. In the Middle Ages he led pilgrims to the most important destinations of Christianity. There have always been pilgrim hostels. Lucca was an important hub for traveling merchants, the army and pilgrims. Numerous monasteries and parishes along the path once served as hostels or hospitals. The people of Lucca still honor this path with their hospitality today. In the province of Lucca, the pilgrimage route leads from Camaiore over Monte Magno into the Freddana Valley, through several towns and along the water to reach the provincial capital Lucca.

Provincial capital Lucca

Who in the Provincial capital Lucca Comes in and is impressed by the old city wall. The wall covers more than four kilometers and is twelve meters high. A green area of ​​75 hectares surrounds it. In the 2nd century B.C. C. the first wall ring was built. This corresponds to the city layout. Over the centuries, the wall ring was repeatedly renewed. But this red brick wall was built between the 16th and 17th centuries and served as a defensive fortress. The city wall has lost its defensive function since the beginning of the last century.

The fact that the wall was converted into a city park was the initiative of Maria Luise of Spain. The city wall has now become a monument of peace and culture. Above all, it has become a leisure promenade. Nowadays the people of Lucca jog on the wall, do yoga or picnic.