About a couple of years ago, a customer from Ferrara pointed out to me that Lucca, thanks to the presence of so many bicycles, reminded him a lot of his hometown that has been renamed “the most Dutch city of Italy”. Thinking about it, despite the bike-sharing service now increasingly available everywhere, not many Italian cities are so booming with bikes.
This means of transport is indeed a very convenient way to get around the historic center and there are many rental opportunities at a bike shop. On two wheels, you can ride the entire perimeter of the city walls in peace, deciding when get off to visit a place of interest and then climb back up.
Lucca is not a university city like nearby Pisa, so statistics regarding bicycle theft are very positive in this sense!
During the summer the climate is certainly not mild; in fact, at certain times of the day, the heat is felt overwhelmingly. However, thanks to the trees planted at the top of the entire perimeter wall, shade is guaranteed, and the idea of abandoning cycling due to the heat disappears.
Walking along the central Via Fillungo , the shopping street, you’ll come across more than one bicycle that officially aren’t allowed here, but in reality are tolerated probably for a matter related to the quiet life – Anyway we warned you !
What could be a good path to do? Let’s try to recommend one.
Starting from Piazzale Verdi, right in front of the information center, take the ramp up the walls and turn left until you reach the Caffè delle Mura, then descend towards an area full of interesting sites: Piazza Napoleone, Piazza San Michele, and the Cathedral of San Martino.
Right from behind the cathedral, take a ramp back to the walls and continue along the direction you came from. Traveling approximately just under 2 km, you can observe, among others, the tree-lined Torre Guinigi, the Porta Elisa stadium for football fans, and a building with a sinister name: the Casa del Boia, home of Lucca’s last executioner.
The final arrival point is the same as where you started, Piazzale Verdi.
Try a cycling experience, an alternative way to explore the city.