Lucca

Lucca is well worth a visit and is not far from Pisa airport at all. If you don't want to drive, jump on the bus right outside the airport. Buy your tickets first at the booth on the far right hand side of the airport as you come out of arrivals and they will point you in the right direction. It's only about 3 euros per person for the trip and is a lovely drive which takes about 50 minutes or so. Once you're in Lucca there are many places to stay and I'm sure others might have recommendations. Although a little pricey, Alla Corte degli Angeli is wonderful. Very central yet in a quiet street, the rooms are beautiful and the breakfast is good. Also for a cheaper stay but also very pleasant you could try Centro Storico Guesthouse, a laid back B&B, we had a family room for 4 of us, cheap and cheerful, right in the middle of everything. Finally another B&B we have used is Al Tuscany, again very central, run by a Scottish lady and her Italian husband. Really good breakfast. The surrounding area is wonderful, close to the coast and the mountains - I'm sure you won't be disappointed. Lucca itself seems to be gaining in popularity and can be very busy during holiday times but spring in Lucca - perfect, maybe I'll see you there. I think I might just have a look at flights now....... Jan

Lucca is an absolutely wonderful city. Full of art, history, good facilities and all this without the crowds that you find in other Italian cities. Try to be there during the 3rd Sunday of the month when there is a huge antique and vintage fair covering many of the streets and squares of the old city. The ramparts are superb and in perfect condition. Concerning the surrounding area, you have Val di Lima, the Garfagnana. All wonderful. We have a small watermill in a really charming town called Bagni di Lucca and the area is outstanding. Barga, Castelnuovo di Garfagnana, the "Eremita di Calomini", just to name a few.... You will not regret coming to Lucca Province and possibly you will keep on coming back.....

Hi Carolina Yes Lucca is a must if you are able to go. If you are interested in Leonardo then try to get to Vinci to the museums there. I wonder where you are going first? south you say. m

Thanks for the replies, always helpful to have recommendations from people who have actually stayed in a place rather than just rely on Trip Advisor! We are staying in an apartment south of Siena in a little place called Stigliano with some friends. They are returning home after a week and we are taking them back to Pisa airport, but we thought we'd stay on for an extra few days. We always seem to fly into Pisa and then head straight out again to wherever we are going, so this time we are going to spend a couple of days there and the rest of the week in Lucca.

Enjoy your trip!!!!

We haven't ventured over to Siena yet. How long do you think it would take from Lucca? Would it be a day trip? Any recommendations for must sees there? Jan

It usually takes us between 1 and a half and 1 hour and 45 minutes to get there from Lucca. Parking is a bit of a problem, so it may take you some 15 minutes to park the car. Definitely, for us it is a day trip and a very enjoyable one.

I was about to say that you should do the journey within two hours, though I agree parking is a problem. For me, Siena is a place I can keep going back to. There are lots of little side streets with interesting shops and all roads seem to lead to the Campo! It's great to sit and people watch whilst having a coffee and cake. If you are there after dark, its character changes and it becomes quite magical with everyone sitting outside to have dinner, although I don't expect we will be doing that in March! In the Palazzo Pubblico there are some good frescoes to see and then of course there is the duomo, which is definitely a must visit. I'm looking forward to seeing it all again and then having a week around Lucca to see something new.

Glad to hear that Siena isn't as far as I thought it would be! As parking is a bit of a headache, maybe going by train would be a better option. Would we be able to get there from Fornoli Gala? Having said that, we haven't yet mastered the train / ticket situation yet!! But I'm sure I can get my head around that.

Whilst you'are in the area why not combine the trip with a visit to Volterra & San Gimignano, probably the two best examples of Tuscan Hill Towns....I guarantee you wont be disappointed.

Jan, we have not used the train to go to Siena from Bagni, we have always gone by car. Anyway, I think that you would have to go from Fornoli to Lucca and catch a train to Siena from there. Check the timetable: www.trenitalia.com We generally go to San Gimignano as well and you need a car to do that.