Hills
Among olive groves and historic villas, San Colombano’s roads invite you to explore by bicycle and discover local flavours.
The pleasure of choosing
HILLS, CITY AND SEA
Your Tuscan journey starts here
Do you want the quiet of the hills, the energy of an art city or the freedom of the sea? Here you can follow your curiosity and discover a different landscape every day.
LUCCA HILLS
Where time finds its rhythm again
A landscape unfolding among olive groves, villages and roads that invite you to travel without haste. These are the hills of San Colombano, once chosen by Lucca families as a summer retreat to find refreshment in nature without moving far from the city. That past can still be visited within Villa Reale di Marlia, with Elisa Baciocchi’s gardens, Villa Torrigiani in Camigliano, echoing the elegance of Versailles, and Villa Mansi in Segromigno, guarded by the legend of Lucida Mansi. There is also room for flavour along the Wine and Olive Oil Route, among trattorias, farms and home-style cooking. Routes link the villas, including by bicycle, with stops whenever a village or a view invites a detour.
THE HISTORIC CENTRE
The city of one hundred churches
Surrounded by historic walls, now a walking promenade, Lucca opens through streets leading to squares, churches and palaces. The mosaic façade of San Frediano, the church of San Michele and San Martino Cathedral explain why it is known as the city of one hundred churches. Between visits, step into a shop for Buccellato, choose an outdoor table for Tordelli or zuppa alla Frantoiana, and let the lanes enchant you. Piazza dell’Anfiteatro preserves the elliptical outline of the ancient Roman arena; from the walls, the view meets bell towers and the holm oaks of Torre Guinigi. Back in the centre, the voices of the squares and the shop windows of Via Fillungo return: the pleasure of Lucca is letting its history guide you, without a fixed itinerary.
VERSILIA
Beaches and sunsets
Around twenty kilometres of coastline invite you to discover Versilia one place at a time, because every resort has its own character. In Viareggio, the promenade runs between the sea and Liberty façades of villas, cafés and beach clubs; each year it comes alive for the Carnival, born here in 1873. Nearby, Pineta di Ponente offers shade and paths for walking or cycling. At Lido di Camaiore, the day follows the rhythm of the beach through a walk on the pier, while the seafront invites you to stay after sunset. Along the coast, also set aside a day for Camaiore and the Abbey of San Pietro, Pietrasanta with its squares, galleries and sculptures, or Forte dei Marmi for the boutiques of its centre and the sea.
Lucca
From the walls to Piazza dell’Anfiteatro, the city of one hundred churches is discovered on foot among shops, squares and local flavours.
Versilia
From Viareggio to Lido di Camaiore, the sea accompanies days that can also be devoted to Pietrasanta’s art and Forte dei Marmi’s elegance.