I know when most take a trip to Italy, it's usually only about 1-2 weeks, and with such a limited amount of time its understandable that they may only see the highlights Rome, Venice, Florence etc. But if you happen to be in Italy (particularly Tuscany) for an extended amount of time, I say GO TO LUCCA! It is definitely one of my favorites among the towns I've visited.
As I recall, it was a Sunday, so almost everything was closed, but I love Lucca for its beautiful integration of architecture and nature.
Lucca is one of the only (if not the only) town in Italy that still maintains 100% of its wall around the city.
The photo above illustrates how the people of Lucca have turned their city wall into a park that circles the town.
I was there just in time to see the colorful leaves before they fell completely.
The crazy part is that it rained 3/4 of the time I was there and I still loved it.
