What April whispers in Lucca

Your monthly newsletter from your Lucca tour guide: life outside the walls, restaurants gossips, a special flight

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

Aprile è arrivato, and what a month it has been! Let me share with you some life facts from the walled city.

A new chapter: my casa outside the Walls

Moving is always an adventure, and my recent relocation just outside Lucca's historic walls has been a blend of stress and excitement.

Some before and after

Imagine ending the day to a panorama where Torre Guinigi is a silhouette in the distance - a view that makes every day feel like a watercolor painting.

My new home boasts a spacious studio that's become my sanctuary. It's a multipurpose dream space where tour ideas are born, writing flows, and my yoga mat unfurls to greet the morning light. So far, I can make this list of the following:

Pros: the new neighborhood is so quiet. I love the light and the size of every room. I am still wondering what we are going to do with all this space! There are a good number of nice shops and a very nice pastry shop with a delicious cacao croissant. On the way back home, instead I can go for a glass wine at Sughero!

Cons: I still have to learn the time-distance, so these days I was too early or just in time for work. It is probably more anonymous. I miss the fact that I could go down in the square and see familiar faces or for a quick pizza. As well as the evening chats with the neighbors on the terrace.

Rumors from Lucca kitchens

Despite being a small city, the restaurant scene in Lucca is always changing! Last year's bold move by the Giglio chefs to refuse the Michelin star sparked quite the conversation among the locals, on social media, and the news crossed even the ocean in the Wall Street Journal When the Michelin Star Becomes a Restaurant’s Curse

I believe the three young chefs could demonstrate they could achieve the highest standards, but in a city like Lucca, there are not enough people, locals or tourists, looking for that experience.

Exciting updates for food lovers and Lucca regulars:

• Buca di Sant’Antonio has unveiled a brand-new kitchen, here’s the story

• Miglio50 has reinvented an old space with new energy. It is in front of the Puccini museum. The place was even mentioned in the book Eat, Pray and Love by Elizabeth Gilbert.

• Santa Goccia is the new spot for delightful drinks but I need to try L’angolo 9 in Piazza Cittadella.

• Osteria dal Manzo celebrates 10 years!

• And a special recommendation if you are visiting this summer: don't miss Bonny Pizza - a true gem that will make your taste buds dance! Datterina with mozzarella is my choice!

Where would you like to go?

Girls night out

Botanical Wonders and Aerial Dreams

My recent blog post about three rare species blooming in the Botanical Garden was inspired by a tour at the Camelia festival with a Slovenian group quite knowledgeable on botany.

Nature never ceases to amaze me, especially here in Lucca where every corner seems to hold a botanical secret.

Pretty villa outside the city walls en route to the gym

But the real magic happened during my first flight over Lucca. For Women’s day, the Air Club in Capannori offered a 30 mins free flight over the city. Couldn’t say no! Picture this: the city laid out like a medieval masterpiece, walls perfectly preserved, towers piercing the Tuscan sky, and the landscape unfolding like a living map. Breathtaking doesn't even begin to describe it.

A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!

Un abbraccio grande and Happy Easter!

Paola

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