Why Lucca?
Lucca is what most people imagine when they imagine Tuscany — a perfectly preserved walled city with bicycle-friendly streets, intact Renaissance walls you can walk on top of (the city walls are now a 4 km elevated park), and an exceptional café and music scene (it's Puccini's birthplace). Florence is 90 minutes by regional train; Pisa airport is 30 minutes; the Versilia coast (Forte dei Marmi, Viareggio) is 45 minutes. Rent is comparable to Florence but the quality of life is calmer.
Lucca, inside the walls.
Neighbourhoods to know
- Centro Storico (within the walls). The walled old town — pedestrian, café-rich, the most photogenic. Most rentals here.
- Sant'Anna. Just outside the western wall — calmer, residential, walkable to the centre.
- San Concordio. Outside the walls south — more affordable, residential.
- Borgo Giannotti. Outside the walls north — leafy, family-oriented, lower rents.
Coworking
- CoWo Lucca. The city's main coworking — small, friendly, English-speaking community.
- Polo Tecnologico Lucchese. Tech-focused coworking outside the walls.
- Lucca Innovation Hub. Newer space with international startup community.
Things to do
- Cycle the city walls — 4 km elevated park around the entire centro storico, the canonical Lucca activity.
- Eat tortelli lucchesi at a trattoria like Buca di Sant'Antonio — pasta filled with meat ragù and Parmigiano.
- Visit the Puccini Birthplace Museum and book tickets to a Puccini concert at San Giovanni church (year-round).
- Day-trip to the Versilia beaches (Forte dei Marmi 45 min) or the Garfagnana hills.
Practical tip
Lucca's centro storico is closed to non-resident cars. Park outside the walls and walk or cycle — there are several free park-and-ride options.
Cost figures are estimates as of 2026 and vary by neighbourhood and season. Always cross-check current rents on Idealista and Immobiliare.it.