Lucca is a charming town, lively but with an old fashioned Italian feel. There are numerous restaurants, cafe’s and bars and many people linger on the streets after dark when it cools down. Our visit was in August and most shops and restaurants close up from 2 to 3 and reopen again later. It was hot, but walking the ramparts early in the morning or in the evening is delightful. Lucca is centrally located and we took a day trip to Cinque Terre and spent a day in Florence. We were enchanted by Lucca the rest of our days. Parking can be tricky, but we just opted for indoor parking in Parcheggio Mazzini which was convenient and always available.
The apartment is wonderful—-luxurious bathroom, small, utilitarian kitchen, great sofa and huge TV for relaxing. The bed is very comfortable and the apartment is FULLY AIR CONDITIONED, which was a big deal when we were there. We travel extensively through Europe and some units will say they are air conditioned, but it may be only mini split in only one room which can get uncomfortable in the hotter months. This apartment has three mini splits, which was a godsend and we could turn on and off each room as needed. The apartment overlooks a piazza and in the evening, many people linger but it really quiets down by 11 or midnight on the weekends. We liked the atmosphere. Also, their is a public water fountain in the piazza (and many more in other piazzas throughout the town) and you will see locals all day filling up numerous bottles of water—-give it a try—it is very tasty water.
Unfortunately the internet was functional, but very, very slow and unusable often. We need high speed internet and although the owner and local property manager were very responsive to our problem, it was never resolved. The local property manager was very attentive and frustrated that the provider (Vodaphone) was not resolving the issue, but she continued to try to get the problem solved for us. We ended up having to purchase an additional high speed chip for our hot spot (from TIM) and we had to use that the entire visit. I would highly recommend Lucca and this lovely apartment, but be prepared for an internet alternative if you need high speed during your visit.
