Private Tour: Historic Lucca by bike

Hop onto your bike, and with one of our local specialized guides, ride up to the top of the Renaissance Walls for a fabulous perspective of the historic center. After just a few moments, you will be able to admire the most exquisite private garden in Lucca, that of Palazzo Pfanner.

The leisurely-paced bike ride will continue along the tree-lined boulevard that characterizes the Walls for about 2 kilometers. Then, you will enter the subterranean area of one of the Walls' most imposing bastions.

Once out and back into the light of day, the tour will continue with a stop at the the Cathedral of San Martino (Saint Martin), where the people of Lucca have venerated the wooden crucifix called the Volto Santo for centuries. There are many Italian masterpieces in the interior, such as the sarcophagus of Ilaria del Carretto and Tintoretto’s Last Supper. To visit the interior, there is a 3 euro fee. Naturally your guide will enter with you to explain the various works of art and monuments.

Back onto your bike, you will cycle through the narrow streets toward Piazza San Michele (Saint Michael’s Square) and its splendid church of the same name. Just a short distance away is the house where the most famous celebrity of Lucca, the opera composer, Giacomo Puccini, was born.

You will head up onto the Walls once again to complete the circuit and admire the town’s towers especially the strikingly particular Torre Guinigi (Guinigi Tower) with its crown of secular holm oak trees.

You will stop at the characteristic oval-shaped Piazza Anfiteatro (Amphitheatre Square), built on the ruins of the ancient Roman arena, this square is one of the most picturesque landmarks of the town. Should you get thirsty or hungry, simply tell your guide. There are a number of places where it is possible to have tastings of delicious local products along with excellent Tuscan wine.

The last stops will be at the Church of San Frediano, that is one of the most ancient churches in Lucca, famous for its façade with the splendid gilded mosaic. To visit the interior, there is a 2 euro fee. Naturally your guide will enter with you to explain the various works of art and monuments. The tour will end at the bike rental shop where it began.