Discover Lucca and its surroundings

Located in central Italy, Tuscany is the unquestioned leader in world tourism. The landscapes, the artistic heritage and important cities, make this region unique in the world. At the end of the MIAC Exhibition you can visit Lucca and its surroundings such as Pisa, Viareggio, Montecatini Terme, Forte dei Marmi and Florence.

LUCCA

The city of Lucca, which is considered one of the major tourist destinations in Italy, is well known also abroad for the Walls that surrounds the historical centre. The Walls of Lucca are unique in the world.

Another famous symbol of the city of Lucca is the charming Anfiteatro Square built on the ruins of the ancient Roman amphitheater.

Within walking distance from this unique corner of the city you can find the medieval Fillungo street, which is the main street of the town center and heart of shopping in Lucca. Other architectural and cultural attractions of the city of Lucca is the Church of San Michele and the famous San Martino Cathedral. Lucca was also nicknamed “The city of 100 churches”.

Of the more 250 towers and bell towers that decorated the city in medieval times just a few are still visible today: the most important ones include the Guinigi Tower and the Tower of the Hours. Like an open-air museum, Lucca conserves many works of art.

PISA

Pisa is a city in Tuscany, Central Italy, on the right bank of the mouth of the River Arno on the Tyrrhenian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa. Although Pisa is known worldwide for its leaning tower (the bell tower of the city’s cathedral).

The city is also home of the University of Pisa, which has a history that traces back to the 12th century, the mythic Napoleonic Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa and the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies as the best Superior Graduate School in Italy.

FLORENCE

The historic centre of Florence contains such a wealth of masterpieces that it is difficult to separate the city from its artworks. In 1982 it was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, the motivation being that it encapsulates the whole history of the city, from the ‘Roman quadrilateral’ in the Piazza della Repubblica area to the narrow streets of the medieval city, the splendours of the 16th-century Pitti Palace and the changes wrought at the time when Florence was the capital of Italy.

With its extraordinarily beautiful churches, its museums and art collections, historic gardens, squares, streets and ancient palaces, Florence can justifiably be defined as an “open-air museum” – not simply a container for artworks but a work of art itself.

Finally, it should be noted that the Polo Museale Fiorentino (a network of twenty city museums, ranging from the Uffizi to the smallest, least-known one) comprises the greatest concentration of artworks in Italy and one of the largest in the world.

VIAREGGIO

Viareggio is the main centre of the northern Tuscan Riviera known as Versilia, and the second largest city within the Province of Lucca.

It is known as a seaside resort as well as being the home of the famous Carnival of Viareggio (dating back to 1873), and its papier-mâché floats, which (since 1925), parade along the promenade known as “Passeggiata a mare”, in the weeks preceding Easter.

Viareggio is also an active industrial and manufacturing centre; its shipbuilding industry has long been renowned around the world and its fishing and floricultural industries are still fundamental sectors to the city’s economy.

MONTECATINI TERME

Montecatini Terme is located at the eastern end of Piana di Lucca and has a strong vocation for tourism, as well as industrial and commercial industries based around the spa, which in turn has increased the interest for hotel accommodation in the region.

The thermal sources are Montecatini’s treasure, around which the real thermal resourts have been built. There are 9 resourts where the treatment can be done. After the belle-epoque growth, now the spas offer not only the well-known healing waters but also all the modern relaxing treatments.

The Spas, the Golf Club, the funicolar “Funicolare”, markets, theatres, many restaurants and night clubs make it a glad vacation in Montecatini.

FORTE DEI MARMI

Forte dei Marmi is a sea town in the province of Lucca, in northern Tuscany (Italy). Tourism is the principal activity of Forte dei Marmi’s citizens. In Italian Forte dei Marmi means “Fort of the marbles”. The town takes its name from the fortress that rises in the middle of the main square: the fortress was built to defend the coast from outer attacks.

Today the area is a popular destination for businessmen, managers, politicians, show-men, movie and sport stars. Forte dei Marmi continues to offer to its guests the same peace and tranquility. It is still a town immersed in the pinewood with a beautiful sand beach. It is not very crowded and it is ideal for biking and shopping.

The majority of foreign tourists came from Germany, Russia, UK, Holland, France, Switzerland and the USA.