We are planning our 2011 trip to Italy. We are spending a few days in the Piedmont and then are heading to Cortona. We are going to stop on the way for a couple of nights. I have a friend who loves Lucca but my husband wants to go to Volterra. We want to limit how many towns we stay overnight in so it is Lucca or Volterra. Which one should we pick?
Posted by
Atlanta
3250 posts
Last October, we stayed in Lucca but wish we'd stayed in Volterra. Can't really explain the difference but Lucca wasn't as interesting as I'd hoped and we liked Volterra a lot when we visited there for the day. We enjoyed the Etruscan museum there.
On the positive, Lucca does have a nice walking/bike trail around the city and we had a good meal at Tratorria da Leo. Next time though, we'll plan to stay in Volterra.
Posted by
Seattle, WA
313 posts
I second the vote for Volterra. We enjoyed visiting Lucca, but to us it doesn't have the interest that Volterra does,
Posted by
WPB, FL & Firenze
3112 posts
You don't say whether you're driving or using train and bus. I really like Lucca, but would vote for Volterra if driving. Volterra is less convenient if using train and bus, in which case Lucca might be the better choice. The towns are quite different. I found Volterra very relaxing with plenty to do for a couple of days. Lucca is busier, with more the feel of being in a smaller Italian town than a tourist destination (part of why I like it). The good news is, you can't go wrong with either choice.
Posted by
Nanaimo, BC, Canada
20 posts
I also vote for Volterra. I loved the small and relatively quiet little town. It has a ton of interesting history. Especially the church. I think we spent the whole afternoon poking around the church.
I didn't actually stay in Volterra but we drove from San Gimignano for visits on two different days. So I can't offer any suggestions on places to stay.
Doug
Posted by
OP
Collierville, Tennessee, USA
503 posts
We will have a car. It looks like we will visit Volterra.
Posted by
Alta Loma, CA, USA
1446 posts
Hi Sherry. Here's another vote for Volterra. While I enjoyed Lucca, it wasn't as captivating as I thought it would be. The day we were in Lucca, there was a religious festival so the town was packed & this obviously influenced my experience. I agree with the others; Volterra had more to peak my interest. I also loved the Etruscan museum & would have enjoyed spending more time there. I also enjoyed seeing the Roman amphitheater there.
I don't know if you're interested, but I booked a 1/2 day tour of Volterra with Annie Adair. She's an American living in Volterra. Rick Steves featured her in his segment about Volterra. Her price was reasonable and we got more out of the tour with her than we would have gotten on our own. She really made Volterra come alive for me.
Have a great trip. Enjoy Volterra!
Posted by
Florida, USA
12172 posts
Volterra is a really nice hill town. Lucca is a plain, flat town with a nice brick wall-turned-park.
I wouldn't recommend Lucca for anyone unless they have personal mobility issues and can't negotiate the hilltowns. Lucca is probably refreshingly less touristed. We were there in October and it was completely dead although there were still a lot of people in other hill towns.