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. If you fall in love with Lucca on the DNV, Italy's longer-term residency routes can keep you here.
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.