Sign in with Facebook
Loc. le Monache - Piano Pieve, Castelnuovo di Garfagnana, Lucca, 55032, Italy
Check Rates and Availability
The view from our table at the Anfiteatro Caffe
View of Lucca from the Tower
Inverted green man.
inside view
I am looking for a budget accomodation in Lucca. Could you suggest any?
Thanks!
Monasteries and Convents offer unique, usually inexpensive accomodations. There are three resources I will suggest you investigate. The first can be found at www.monasterystays.com, which is a fee based site that will arrange accomodations for you. We used this site about three years ago when booking a trip to Italy and it was worth the price of admission based on the accomdations alone (some of these places are spectacular), not to mention cheap room rates. Secondly, there is a book that has been recently published entitled "GOOD NIGHT AND GOD BLESS: A Guide to Convent and Monastery Accommodation in Europe," which can be had via Amazon.com for about $6.50 US plus shipping. Another book I would recommend is entitled "Bed and Blessings," by June and Anne Walsh. For instance, I know that in Lucca, there is the Passionists Convent and the Dominican Convent of San of San Romano. With a little sleuthing, you should find something in your budget. Good luck.
Is "monasterystays.com the right link?
Yes, that is the correct link. I just tried it and it works.
ww.monasterystays.com/
Thanks. Maybe I wrote it the wrong way.
The walls that encircle the city center have been transformed into a walking path and park. It's very pretty; plus you're up high so you can peek into people's gardens. If you don't want to pay to go into the garden of the Palazzo Pfanner, peek in from the path. But it is really nice, so I would suggest paying the small admission fee to go in.
North of Lucca is the area known as Garfagnana, a nature reserve with high mountains, beautiful rivers, lakes, and forests.
At the edge of this area is the lovely town of Castelnuovo Gargafnana. It is interesting, lively, and a great place for watching people.
We were here on a Saturday, a very busy day. It seemed the entire area's population was here!
I saw these local men sitting out in front of a local bar, just "shooting the breeze" and watching the locals and the tourists. I asked if I could take a picture, and they were thrilled. [Notice how well dressed they are.]
I've observed that Italian men always seem to be well dressed. It's one of the reasons I appreciate Italy so much!
This town is full of unique restaurants, bars, and upscale shops. The scenery surrounding the town is beautiful...the town is intersected by a small river.
We had very little time left in Lucca, but really needed to have some lunch before heading to Pisa Airport to fly home.
We were busy photographing Chiesa di San Michele in Foro and decided to have something nearby.
Most of the restaurants around here were pretty touristy, but we came across a small cafe/bar hiding on the left side of the church (when looking at it from the front) and stopped off for a quick meal at one of the outside tables.
Sorry, but I have lost the name of this cafe....if anyone recognises it, please let me know! We just had lasagne and cannelloni and a glass of the local vino rosso.
Food was fine - nothing mind blowing, but great value.
Service was fast and friendly.
To some people, Lucca could be a good base to explore The Alpuan Alps. It is 'hidden' behind a Renaissance wall.
This place was founded by The Estruscans...& became a colony in 180 BC.
Photo shows part of the wall surrounded Lucca.
Palazzo Pfanner turned out to be my favourite museum in Lucca. For 5.50 Euros, you can have access to the palazzo and its beautiful gardens. Dating back to the 1660s, the palazzo is named after Felix Pfanner, an Austrian brewer who was invited to Lucca in 1846 to teach people how to brew beer. At first, Pfanner only rented a few rooms in the palazzo, but soon enough he decided to establish himself in Lucca and, thanks to how successful the Pfanner Brewery turned out to be, he was eventually able to buy it. It doesn't take very long to visit the part of the residence that's open to the public, but it's still worth checking it out to get an idea of what a 17th century Toscan palazzo looks like inside. The real treat, however, are the gardens. Designed and built in the 18th century under the supervision of Filippo Juvarra, they are often described as Tuscany's best example of Italian-style gardens. The gardens, with their statues, fountain and gorgeous lemon trees, have been featured in quite a few movies, including Jane Campion's "Portrait of a Lady", starring Nicole Kidman. Something I thought was particularly interesting was to read the pannels that included excerpts from 19th century travel books describing the gardens and the palazzo - it was kind of neat to imagine that 200 years ago, another tourist had perhaps stood in the exact same spot, taking in all the beauty of the gardens :o)
Palazzo Pfanner is open from April to October, from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm.
Sponsored Links
Near Hotel Ristorante La Lanterna
Cheapest in Lucca
Great Hotels for Less
Q: Italy "We will be in Italy in June of this year and will be traveling from Venice to Pisa by rail on a Saturday, we will continue on to..."
A: "No, shops in Italy are not generally open on Sundays, except for those aimed at tourists (and some bakeries, for the daily bread). There are exceptions when there was a..."
Sponsored Links
Latest Lucca hotel reviews
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Check Rates and Availability (from our partners)
