When in Lucca
The medieval town of Lucca is an undiscovered gem that rivals nearby Florence, Pisa, and Siena. Little known beyond the cognoscenti who have vacationed here for generations, the surrounding Lucchesia region has a charm even more authentic and sophisticated than the rest of Tuscany. The landscape of gentle hills, blanketed with olive groves and vineyards, camellia-scented gardens and forested coastline, is a haven of calm and beauty.

Lucca, the walled 'city of a hundred churches'--a treasure trove of medieval and Renaissance art and architecture.
The only Italian city still completely surrounded by ancient walls, Lucca is medieval Italy par excellence, its churches and squares intact. In the nineteenth century, the fortified walls were transformed by the Borboni family into a tree-lined promenade that offers on one side a kaleidescope of glimpses into the charming corners of the old city, and on the other side, panoramic views of the landscape Dante so loved, with its gentle hills shadowed with cypress and olive trees and the backdrop of the Pisa mountains.
  Discover the most beautiful Renaissance monument ever dedicated to a woman, in the Cathedral of Lucca in San Martino square. The lifelike perfection of her image, carved by Jacopo della Quercia in 1406, honors Ilaria del Carretto, the wife of Count Paolo Guinigi, who died giving birth to a daughter just three years after her wedding. At her feet is a little dog, a symbol of loyalty.
  Explore the rich interior of the San Frediano church, under the old city walls, with its lustral fountain that is an expressive masterpiece of 12th century sculpture. Come back again and again to the National Art Gallery, housed in a spectacular 16th century palazzo, with a wealth of paintings, sculpture, frescoes, jewelry and decorative arts from the medieval and renaissance periods. Sit for a while in the gardens surrounding the palace to let it all sink in.
  Leave the map behind one day, and lose yourself wandering through the ancient streets to see what luck uncovers.

The palacial villas of the Lucca aristocracy offer views into a world of beauty, a life surrounded by art.

The traditional cuisine of Lucchesia balances subtle sophistication with an earthy appreciation for the local bounty of the land.

The beaches of Versilia, little known to foreign tourists, are where the money of Milan vacations.

In Lucca, shopping is a splendid sensual experience: look for fine silks and culinary treats.

Carrara and Pietrasanta are known throughout the world for their precious white marble from the Apuane Alps.