Places in Lucca

Take the train to Pisa for a 1/2 day outing...that's as much time as you will want to spend there. Stay in the Hotel La Luna....great rooms (some with frescos) at great prices. Ride a bike around the walled ramparts of the city...good for 1/2 day. See all of the churches but if you like opera, go to the evening shows in a church (I believe it is San Giovanni) where they sing arias most nights...there will be flyers posted in town with more info. If you like wine, go to the "best" enotecca in all of Tuscany...their underground tunnels contain some of the rarest and very best italian wines to be found anywhere. Be careful, you may be tempted to spend more than you planned on...the name is Vini Liquori Vanni and it is near Piazza San Michele (I think on Via Paolino). As for food the restaurant directly opposite the front door of the Hotel La Luna is great and very reasonably priced.

Sharon,
See http://www.knowital.com/tuscany/lucca/accommodation/

We enjoyed La Romea B&B. Ask for the Red Room.

http://www.laromea.com/english/bed_and_breakfast_lucca.html

Hotel
Hotel La Luna
Via Fillungo, Corte Compagni 12
Lucca - Italy
Tel : +39 0583 493634 - Fax : +39 0583 490021 -
info@hotellaluna.com
http://www.hotellaluna.com/page.asp?LG=UK&PG=1&ID=65

Food

*Ristorante Buca di Sant’Antonio, Founded in 1782. The dishes seem deliciously innovative but are touted as traditional Luccan cuisine. Savour, for example, the ricotta and leek pie with chickpea sauce. Via Della Cervia 3 (mains around 15).

Vecchia Trattoria Buralli, on a quiet Piazza San Agostino, is a good bet for traditional cooking. It is an intimate local favorite that makes few concessions to outsiders. You can play it easy and go for the a la carte menu with English translation. It’s better, however, to throw a wild card and pluck one of the five different menus (around 16) (20-40 dinner) Closed Tues and Wed. 19:15-22:30. Piazza San Agostino 10; 0583-467-470.

Da Giulio, large trattoria with good food and big crowds, great family restaurant, inexpensive, fast service. Lots of choices on the menu with all the local specialties. Select several antipasto items to share. Open for dinner only, no lunch, closed on Sundays. North end of town, Via delle Conce 45, Piazza San Donato. Tel: 0583-55-948.

Only in Lucca you can find a special Sweet-bread in shape of a small baguette or a bun. It's called "Buccellato" and it has raisins inside and has a unique taste of anise. You can find it in a small shop called Taddeucci, behind Saint Michael's church in the main square of Lucca Piazza San Michele 34

Di Simo Caffe, was once patronized by Puccini. Via Fillungo 58

Because Giovanni and his family treated us so well, I always want to send business to the Hotel Melecchi just outside of the Porta Elisa gate. The tradeoff for being just outside the city walls is that it has large airy rooms and its own parking lot. A great breakfast too. We liked the Trattoria Da Leo and the related wine bar just down the street for lunch.

We're booked at Le Violette B&B in early June. It's a Rick Steves recommendation, inside the city walls but also near the railway station.