Hotel and restaurant suggestions in Lucca and Florence

we liked the Quatro Leone restaurant in Florence (in the Oltrarno district). Try their tuna. Peter

In Lucca, we stayed at the B&B Arena Di Lucca, and loved it. Right in the Anfiteatro. Great location and staff. Very nice breakfast room. Highly recommend.
https://www.bbarenalucca.com/

In Florence, we stayed at Locanda De Ciompi, and would also recommend. Not far from Santa Croce and Duomo. Nice rooms, great breakfast included, served at restaurant a few doors down the street,
https://locandadeciompi.it/

We had a very memorable side-trip visit to Lucca back in 2013 as part of a longer stay in Florence. If it is still open, I would suggest considering the Al Tuscany B&B. Like the rest of Lucca, staying at Al Tuscany was like walking back in history. The owner when we stayed there was just so accommodating and helpful. Each evening when we were ready to go to dinner we would ask him for suggestions, and once we decided, he would actually walk us to the restaurant and introduce us to the owner or maitre d! On our last night we told him we wanted to dine at the restaurant that was at the top of his list, and he walked us a few blocks to a place where, even to this day, all four of us agree that we enjoyed the best meal we ever had. Unfortunately, we have all forgotten the name of that restaurant. As for Florence, we rented an apartment within walking distance (even dragging luggage) of the train station, each night we would explore the area and easily find a good restaurant, each one seeming even better than the last one. We found all of the popular attractions to be walkable (which is good, because I do not think one would want to have a rental car in Florence).

I am sure you will have a memorable trip!

For Lucca I would strongly recommend Osteria da Pasqualino Gubitosa. Make sure you make a reservation at least a week in advance and probably more if on a weekend.

Of our trip this past May, this was our absolute favorite restaurant in terms of food, the wonderful host and the general vibe. I'm still thinking about the caponata appetizer we had. Also, the owner was so kind and generous in spirit, providing on-the-house tastings throughout the evening.

The night we were there (mid week, 8:30 reservation) we were seated outside, per our request, and heard singing from indoors. I wasn't familiar with the actual songs but they had a european folk song quality. I headed inside to get a first hand look and ended up joining in - requesting the Mary Hopkin song "Those Were the Days" and before you knew it the entire restaurant was belting it out. So much fun. I felt like I was in a movie or something! We ended our night with another on-the-house drink -- a melonecello! Best night in Lucca ever didn't get back to our AirBnB until well after midnight! DO NOT MISS A CHANCE TO EAT HERE!

In May, we had a wonderful dinner and exceptional service in Lucca, at Ristorante All"Olivo. The restaurant itself was charming, but we chose outside dining which was quite lovely also. It is in the center of old town Lucca,