Join Us In Tuscany

Join us in Tuscany…

Tuscany is a region in central Italy. Its capital is Florence and is home to some of the world’s most recognizable Renaissance art and architecture (thanks, Google).

To the West of Florence is Lucca, a city on the Serchio river characterized by its city walls.

Lucca is an enchanting small town in Tuscany. It is surrounded entirely by 16th century walls of ancient stone. Lucca is a city for walking, its flat landscape and narrowing winding lanes create the perfect conditions for commuting by bicycle or to explore on foot. Its solid ramparts, once used for fortification and patrolled by soldiers, minimize traffic and are today landscaped encouraging people to walk or ride their bikes around the perimeter of the city, admiring the view. Within the old town, you can visit the Duomo, the oval-shaped Piazza dell’Anfiteatro (our favorite) and climb to the top of the Guinigi Tower with its curious centuries old trees at the very top.

Travel

There are two airports nearby Lucca — Florence (FLR) and Pisa (PSA). There are no direct flights from the DC Area airports, but both Florence and Pisa are under an hour from Lucca and have public transportation to the city.

From DC, you can fly direct to Rome and take a train up to Florence and then Lucca (approximately 3 hours).

We have price alerts set up through Kayak and will keep an eye on those for you. If you’re open to taking multiple stops (would recommend if you’re fine with extra time for a more affordable fare), check out Kiwi.com for flights, too.

5 Months Out Update:

I just did a quick search of direct flights to/from DC area (no destination specified) and I found round trip to Lisbon for €335, Amsterdam for €495, Madrid €505, etc. It might make sense to search like this and find a separate flight from that first destination to Italy (Pisa, Florence closest) - you’ll need to check out and check back in, but if cost is a factor, this could help! Give me (Paige) a shout and I can help you find flights and figure out the best route for your needs.

If you need any help booking flights or finding the best routes / dates, don’t hesitate to reach out.

If you’re planning on coming to Europe earlier, depending on your plans, it might make sense to see if there are other cities that offer direct flights.

Accommodations

If you’re planning to stay in or around Lucca for the weekend, there are plenty of hotels, Airbnbs and agriturismos to choose from. The type of accommodation you choose completely depends on the type of experience you’re looking for!

If you’re interested in staying in a hotel, here are a few recommendations from our wedding planners (with their notes):

Alla Corte degli Angeli

Via Degli Angeli 23

Maison de charme with 21 rooms and a fine restaurant; within the city walls (only 7 available as of 28 December)

starting at €160 per night

Hotel Ilaria & Residenza Dell’Alba

Via del Fosso 26

Elegant and quiet hotel conveniently located inside the walls of Lucca. Breakfast and 24 hour snacks included. Jacuzzi and roof terrace.

starting at €165 per night

Albergo Villa Marta

Via del Ponte Guasperini 873

Relaxing hotel 5km from the city centre with pool and own restaurant

starting at €125 per night

If you’d like to stay a bit closer to our venue (5 minute drive), check out:

Buonamico Wine Resort

Via Provinciale di Montecarlo 43

11 rooms, a restaurant, a wellness area and an outdoor pool inside the property of a winery

starting at €138 per night

. . .

Give us a shout with questions about accommodations you’ve found on your own or if you’d like us to check with our planners. They’ve sent us a list that’s a bit longer than this one, so we’ll have other recommendations if none of these suit you.

OR you may have found an Airbnb/villa that’s super nice, but a bit bigger than you need. If you’d like us to connect you with some of the other guests to talk about sharing an Airbnb/villa, we’ll introduce you to some other cool people!

Transportation

Flying into Pisa

If you fly into Pisa, it’s a 25 minute drive to Lucca.

Buses run from Pisa Airport to Lucca (Piazzale Verdi, last stop) approximately every hour and cost €3.50. The bus company is called VAI BUS. You can buy the ticket inside the airport near Arrivals on the right. According to our wedding planners, the bus is more comfortable than the train and it’s direct. Trip time is approximately 1 hour.

If you’d like to take a train, you can take the PISA MOVER shuttle from the airport to the Pisa Centrale station (€5) and then change to the train for Lucca (€3.60).

Flying into Florence

If you fly into Florence, it’s a 45 minute drive on a toll road to Lucca.

There’s a bus that runs from Florence Airport to Lucca (the line is “DD”). It departs every 2 hours or so and takes about an hour.

You can also take the tram (T2) to Stazione Santa Maria Novella and a train to Lucca. This takes just under 2 hours in total.

Taxi from the Airport

A taxi directly from Pisa Airport to Lucca should cost €80-100. From Florence, it’ll cost €140-160. Make sure the taxi driver has the meter on when you start the journey and ask for a rough estimate before starting. Price could change depending on daily/nightly fare, number of passengers and luggage.

Renting A Car

If you’re renting a car from either Pisa or Florence, it’s important to be aware of ZTL’s. Most cities in the area do not allow cars (apart from residents) and this is strictly enforced.