Lucca , Italy

81

Lucca is a compact Tuscan city wrapped in Renaissance walls, where daily life still bends to the scale of streets, piazzas, and bicycles. Close to Pisa and Florence yet distinctly its own, it feels like a city designed for lingering rather than rushing—quietly elegant, and unmistakably Luccan.

Est. monthly cost €1,850 – €2,300
Overall score 81
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Livability scores

  • Walkability 19 / 20
  • Rail Connectivity 10 / 15
  • Public Transit 6 / 10
  • Affordability 11 / 15
  • Safety 8 / 10
  • Air Quality 7 / 10
  • Quality Of Life 8 / 10
  • Food Culture 4 / 5
  • Car Free Practicality 8 / 5

Food guide

Lucca’s food culture blends rustic Tuscan cooking with distinct local specialties, emphasizing seasonal vegetables, game, and hearty soups. Travelers find an intimate, tradition-driven scene in small osterie and bakeries, where pasta, farro soups, and sweet breads like buccellato anchor daily life.

Signature dishes

  • Tordelli LucchesiCrescent-shaped fresh pasta stuffed with seasoned meat and herbs, typically served with a rich beef ragù.
  • Zuppa di FarroHearty soup of farro, beans, and seasonal vegetables, a classic Lucchese peasant dish.
  • GarmugiaDelicate spring vegetable soup enriched with small pieces of pork, traditionally eaten in Lucca in spring.
  • BuccellatoRing-shaped anise-flavored sweet bread studded with raisins or sultanas, a hallmark Lucchese dessert.
  • Rovelline LucchesiThin veal slices breaded, fried, and braised in tomato-based soffritto, served as a hearty second course.
  • MatuffiPolenta topped with herb-scented sausage and mushrooms, a robust local comfort dish.
  • Torta Verde di LuccaSavory pastry filled with ricotta, greens and pine nuts, a well-known local bakery specialty.

Where to eat

  • Buca di Sant’Antonio historic trattoriaRenowned for traditional Lucchese dishes and handmade pasta like tordelli lucchesi.
  • Da Leo trattoriaServes Tuscan classics including wild boar ragù and vegetable soups in a local, unfussy setting.
  • Buccellato Taddeucci bakery/pasticceriaHistoric bakery famous for buccellato; popular spot for coffee and sweet breads on the piazza.
  • Funiculì pizzeriaNeapolitan-style pizza just outside Lucca’s walls near the train station.
  • La Cranceria pizza al taglio shopCasual counter for pizza by the slice near Porta Santa Maria.
  • Forno a vapore Amedeo Giusti bakeryLocal favorite for freshly baked focaccia and traditional pastries before they sell out.

Markets & food shopping

  • Mercato di Lucca (weekly city market area near the walls)
  • Local produce stalls and food shops around Piazza del Carmine and historic center (generic traditional markets).