Lucca
Tucked across the walkway from the Baluardo San Regolo are Lucca's pretty botanical gardens, well worth a meander and a contemplative moment in the shade of its magnificent Lebanese cedar tree planted in 1820.
A combination ticket covering the Torre del'Ore or Torre Guinigi costs €6/4 (or €9/6 for all three sights).
9.96 MILES
One of Italy's signature sights, the Torre Pendente truly lives up to its name, leaning a startling 3.9 degrees off the vertical. The 58m-high tower,…
9.96 MILES
Pisa's magnificent duomo was begun in 1064 and consecrated in 1118. Its striking tiered exterior, with green-and-cream marble cladding, gives onto a…
0.27 MILES
Lucca's predominantly Romanesque cathedral dates from the 11th century. Its stunning facade was constructed in the prevailing Lucca-Pisan style and…
10.01 MILES
Pisa's unusual round baptistry has one dome piled on top of another, each roofed half in lead, half in tiles, and topped by a gilt bronze John the Baptist…
0.57 MILES
Lucca’s monumental mura (wall) was built around the old city in the 16th and 17th centuries and remains in almost perfect condition. It superseded two…
21.28 MILES
The bishops' palace, wedged next to the cathedral, provides a fascinating tour of Pistoia's urban history, ranging from touchable scale models of…
0.5 MILES
Fire the romantic in you with a stroll around this beautiful 17th-century palace where parts of Portrait of a Lady (1996), starring Nicole Kidman and John…
Santuario della Madonna di Montenero
25.34 MILES
The story goes like this: in 1345, the Virgin Mary appeared to a shepherd, who led her to monte nero (black mountain), a haven of brigands. Needless to…
0.26 MILES
The cathedral museum safeguards elaborate gold and silver decorations made for the cathedral's Volto Santo, including a 17th-century crown and a 19th…
0.26 MILES
The bird's-eye view from the top of this medieval, 45m-tall red-brick tower adjoining 14th-century Palazzo Guinigi is predictably magnificent. But what…
0.27 MILES
Lucca's predominantly Romanesque cathedral dates from the 11th century. Its stunning facade was constructed in the prevailing Lucca-Pisan style and…
4. Lucca Center of Contemporary Art
0.28 MILES
Lucca's contemporary-art museum hosts some riveting exhibitions; check its website for details.
5. Museo Nazionale di Palazzo Guingi
0.31 MILES
Lucchese history from the 8th century BC to late 18th century AD is evoked through archaeological objects, paintings and other artworks at this small…
6. Chiesa e Battistero dei SS Giovanni e Reparata
0.32 MILES
The 12th-century interior of this deconsecrated church is a hauntingly atmospheric setting for summertime opera and concert recitals (www…
0.37 MILES
Legend has it that Lucca's 13th-century clock tower – at 50m tall, the highest of the city's 130 medieval towers – is inhabited by the ghost of Lucida…
8. Chiesa di San Michele in Foro
0.42 MILES
One of Lucca's many architecturally significant churches, this glittering Romanesque edifice marks the spot where the city's Roman forum was. The present…