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| Lunch with our house-hunting companions |
In November 2024, my family spent five days in Lucca, Italy, in one of those wonderfully unplanned trips that happen when you simply say yes.
It started with our older son's school friend's family. They were moving from the United States to Lucca, Italy and needed to spend some time there looking for a house. One day at a playground, they asked if we wanted to tag along and my wife said "Yes, we are going." without any hesitation or thought process.
IT WAS THAT SIMPLE!
I didn't think that we would actually go, neither of our friend's family thought that we were really coming. It wasn't exactly a typical vacation. It was part family trip, part house-hunting adventure, and part curiosity about what it might actually be like to live in a small Tuscan city.
Train Ride From Venice
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| Our scenic train ride from Venice to Lucca |
We didn't have to worry too much about getting a train. There was a train from Venice to Lucca almost every hour and the cost was about the same for each one. My wife and I paid €26.15 each, our older son paid €13.10, and our youngest was free. There was no nonstop train to Lucca, so we had to transfer twice, once in Bologna and again in Prato.
We were a little nervous about having to transfer not just once, but twice. We managed to find the right trains and make each connection on time. We had to pay close attention to the message boards at the train stations. First, we looked at the departure (Partenze) section to find our train number. Then most importantly, we had to wait for the platform (Binario) number to be posted.
This is something that we don't usually have to do in the States and we were anxious to find out the platform as soon as we arrived at each station. Most difficult part was when the kids asked to purchase for snacks at one of the transfer stations where we were anxiously waiting for the platform number. We didn't want to miss any of the train.
We left Venice at 10:40 am and arrived in Lucca around 3:30 pm. Considering how long the journey was, the train wasn't particularly expensive.
The ride turned out to be much better than I expected. It was mid-November, and the countryside outside the window was beautiful. Autumn colors were still hanging onto the hills, with golds and reds covering the landscape. We weren't doing anything special. We were simply sitting on a train watching Italy pass by.
Dragging Suitcases Through Lucca
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| Historic stone slabs are not exactly suitcase-friendly |
That was a big mistake.
Our Airbnb was inside the historic center, and the streets were beautiful but not exactly suitcase-friendly. The roads weren't smooth asphalt. They were covered with large stone slabs, and pulling suitcases over them was exhausting.
By the time we finally reached the apartment, my arms were completely worn out. I just wanted to rest.
Looking back, I strongly recommend taking a taxi when you arrive in Lucca with luggage. Taxis were asking €20, and I should have taken the offer and enjoyed the comfortable ride. Fifteen minutes on Google Maps can feel much longer when you are dragging suitcases over old stone streets while trying to keep up with the kids. I think it took us about 30 minutes to get to our place.
There wasn't much time to rest anyway. Our friends had already arrived and were waiting for us. Within about an hour of arriving, we were back outside, getting ice cream for the kids and sitting down for late lunch.
I honestly can't remember exactly what my wife and I ordered, but I remember the kids had pizza and we had Spritz. Guess what? The kids never got tired of pizza throughout the entire trip. The taste was exceptional compared what we were used to in the U.S., and I can understand why they loved it, but they were eating it every day. I couldn't say much, though, since I eat rice almost every day.
Food in Lucca was also cheaper than in Venice. We could get a Pizza less than €5. Considering the inflation in the U.S., we were able to eat our lunch for about $50, while a similar meal in the U.S. could easily cost us around $100.
For that reason, we enjoyed drinking Spritz almost everyday, more often than kids ate pizza, during this trip.
Strange Airbnb
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| Making ourselves at home in our Lucca Airbnb |
To get to the bathroom, we had to go down what felt like a basement level and then climb back up on the other side to reach the bedroom. It was charming in theory and mildly frustrating in practice.
The kids actually loved the bathroom because it was newly renovated and had a bathtub. My wife, on the other hand, struggled with a strange smell coming from the bathroom throughout our stay.
And on our very first night, the heater didn't work. Luckily, the host came over and fixed it.
Then I managed to create another problem myself.
I was doing laundry and grabbed what I thought was laundry detergent from the drawer. Without thinking twice, I poured it into the washing machine and started the laundry.
Only afterward did I realize it was bleach. I'm still convinced the label looked like it said detergent. Several pieces of our clothes came out permanently stained and discolored. Not exactly the souvenir we wanted from Italy.
But despite all those little problems, there was one thing about the Airbnb that we absolutely loved.
Right outside the dining area was a garden-like courtyard. It was surprisingly spacious, and the kids could run around and play without us worrying about them. That little patch of green became one of our favorite parts of the apartment.
Unfortunately, we couldn't stay there longer than 4 nights. We cancelled the remaining nights and moved on to a different city because of a bad smell coming from the basement.
Another interesting part of staying there was learning how Lucca handled recycling. At check-in, we were given a card. When we took our trash outside, we had to separate everything into the appropriate bins and tap the card against a sensor to open them.
We were actually impressed.
My wife and I looked at each other and thought, "We should probably be doing this at home."
Old Walls of Lucca
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| Walk around the old city walls with friends |
There wasn't a major attraction waiting for us at the end. There was no big event. We just walked. The kids ran around, played, and enjoyed having so much open space. The weather was warm, and the walk was peaceful.
And I think that was one of the things I liked most about Lucca. It didn't feel like a city where we had to constantly rush from one famous attraction to another. We could just walk around and enjoy being there.
Learning to Eat on Italian Time
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| A simple, home-cooked family dinner in Lucca |
Dinner was different.
Many restaurants didn't really start dinner service until seven or eight in the evening. That was way too late for our three- and six-year-old boys. So we changed our routine. We ate breakfast and lunch outside and cooked dinner at the Airbnb.
And honestly, this ended up being one of the best parts of the trip. We bought ingredients from local markets and grocery stores. Tomatoes, eggs, wine, and other basic ingredients were surprisingly inexpensive compared with what we were used to paying in the United States. €30 will get us enough ingredient and a decent bottle of Chianti to cook dinner for everyone. It was interesting to see the eggs were selling on the shelf outside, not in the cold fridge. Prosciutto was also really cheap. When I get some prosciutto from Whole Food Market, it will cost me about $20 for 20 slices, but they were charging less than half of the price. All the other ingredients were incredibly fresh.
But the biggest discovery was a simple jar of pesto. It was basically basil, olive oil, and pine nuts, but it tasted better than almost any pesto we'd had back home. It was only €5, and 400g of pesto sauce was given to us to enjoy. With fresh ingredients and good Italian food, even a very simple dinner tasted special.
After the kids went to bed, my wife and I would share a glass of Chianti. Nothing fancy. Just the two of us sitting together after a long day. That became one of the quiet pleasures of the trip.
Gelato Every Single Day
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| Gelato every single day |
Gelato. Every day.
No matter what else happened, there was always gelato. One thing I learned during this trip was the word "stracciatella." Our younger son ordered it almost every time. Eventually, I tried it. And then, of course, I had to get one for myself.
Compared to other things in Italy, gelato prices were pretty similar everywhere we went. One scoop for usually around €3. Everything else was cheaper than the U.S., but the gelato seems to be in about the same price range. Some gelaterias offer a kid's scoop for €1.50 or €2 and we started to ask about it wherever we went. I really wish they had that option everywhere.
By the end of the trip, gelato had become part of our daily schedule. For the kids, that may have been the most important attraction in Lucca.
You have to have gelato at least once a day. That's a must!
What It Might Be Like to Live in Lucca
While we were enjoying our vacation, our friends were doing something very different. They were trying to figure out whether they could actually live there. They were looking at homes both inside and outside the old city walls. Living inside the walls had obvious appeal. The history, architecture, restaurants, piazzas, and atmosphere were incredible.
But it also came with a higher price.
Outside the walls, homes were more affordable and offered more space, but you were farther removed from the historic center.
Watching them go through that decision was fascinating. It made us look at Lucca differently. We weren't just seeing it as tourists anymore. We started thinking about what everyday life would actually be like.
Our friends eventually decided to continue their search in another city, but being there while they were making that decision gave us a small glimpse into what it might be like to actually live in Italy instead of simply visiting.
A Stranger Who Invited Us to His Palace
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| An unforgettable afternoon with a new friend |
He told us that he came back to Lucca every year around the same time because he loved the city so much. Then he invited us to come see where he was staying. We had no idea what to expect, but we decided to go.
He was staying at Palazzo Pfanner, a beautiful historic palace in Lucca. And somehow, we ended up getting a free visit. The palace was incredible.
The Baroque staircase, the open loggia overlooking the garden, and the garden itself were beautiful. I couldn't believe this man was staying there. He had wine and snacks waiting for us, and we spent the afternoon talking about travel and life.
It was such a simple gesture. A stranger met us in a piazza, invited us to his temporary home, and shared his afternoon with our family. We probably would never have found that experience on a travel itinerary.
It was one of those moments that can only happen when you are open to talking to people.
Piazza San Michele
Another favorite memory was Piazza San Michele.
The kids played while my wife and I sat nearby and watched the people around us. It was one of those scenes that didn't seem particularly important at the time, but somehow stayed in my mind. The piazza was lively and relaxed at the same time.
Then we went inside the church. And that's where things became unexpectedly creepy. Inside, we came across a centuries-old body preserved and displayed in a glass case, partially mummified. It was strange and a little unsettling.
Just outside, the piazza was full of children, families, and people enjoying their afternoon. Inside the church, there was this eerie reminder of how old the city really was.
The contrast was unforgettable.
A Quick Trip to Pisa
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| Day Trip to Leaning Tower of Pisa |
But I was wrong.
They barely reacted. I wanted to walked up the stairs with the kids, but there was restriction to go up. Children have to be at least 8 years old to go up. I was glad that kids had no interest to go up the tower. They also didn't sell walk-up tickets, so we just walked around for about 30 minutes, looked at the tower, and somehow we were ready to leave. So we turned around and went back to Lucca. The kids had apparently decided that gelato was more interesting than one of Italy's most famous landmarks.
One useful thing we discovered in Pisa was that a taxi from the train station to the Leaning Tower cost only around €10. We had no idea how we were going to get around after getting off the train, so that taxi was a lifesaver.
The Kind of Trip You Don't Plan
Looking back, Lucca never gave us one huge, dramatic “must-see” moment. Instead, it was the little things that stayed with us.
I remember the beautiful train ride through the autumn countryside and how tired my arms were after dragging our suitcases over those old stone streets. I remember the strange layout of our Airbnb, the little courtyard where the kids could run around, and the heater that decided not to work on our first night. I even remember the clothes I ruined by accidentally pouring bleach into the washing machine.
I remember sitting around the table with fresh tomatoes, inexpensive wine, and pesto that somehow tasted better than anything we'd had at home. I remember having a glass of Chianti after the kids went to bed, getting gelato with the kids almost every day, and walking along the old city walls without really having anywhere we needed to be.
There was also the quick, slightly disappointing visit to Pisa, but that's okay. Sometimes, not every stop has to be amazing. Then there was a completely unexpected conversation with a Canadian stranger that somehow led us inside a historic palace. Our friends were looking at houses and wondering if they could actually build a life in Italy, which made us think about Lucca in a way we never would have as ordinary tourists.
When I think about the trip now, those are the moments that come back to me. It wasn't a trip packed with famous attractions or perfectly planned activities. We didn't see everything, and not everything went perfectly.
But maybe that's exactly why I remember it.
Lucca wasn't the kind of place that demanded our attention. It simply gave us time to slow down, and somehow, those quiet days became some of the memories I remember.
LET'S GO!