Tuscany - Italy - page 147

ACCOMMODATIONS, BOTH STANDARD & NOT
€

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(Via della
Cavallerizza, 12; % 0583-469957; www.ostellolucca.it). This large 140-bed hos-
tel was, at varying times, a convent, a library, and a school before its 2002 reno-
vation and transformation into this clean, character-filled hostel. The wide, tiled
hallways and large common rooms echo with footsteps, while the rear garden
offers a nice place to relax. Rooms are institutional but ultraclean with new fur-
nishings, and are priced from

A choice hostelling option is Ostello San Frediano

43 for a
double with private bathroom. They have a decent breakfast buffet for € 3.80, and
a passable lunch and dinner for

€

17 per person in an eight-bed dorm to

€

€

9. Plus, they have beer in the vending machines!

€ - €€ Because of the small number of hotels inside the city walls, Lucca is
also a good place to look into B&Bs or private rooms. Among the best choices are
Affittacamere Centro Storico

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(Corte Portici, 16; % 0583-490748; www.
affittacamerecentrostorico.com), a collection of tidy rental rooms, with decent
beds, that go for € 60 to € 130 for a double with bathroom, fan, and fridge (the
rate varies by season). Centrally located near Piazza San Michele, six rooms are for
rent here, including a triple and a large suite perfect for families. La Camelia
(Piazza San Francesco, 35; % 0583-463481; www.affittacamerelacamelia.com) is
another centrally located option, with rooms that are cheap and clean but more
basic at

€

75 for a triple and

€

65 for a double.

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€ - €€ (Via

Fillungo, 142, just north of Piazza Anfiteatro; % 0583-312800; www.casa-alba.
com) is a small but pleasant guesthouse, and one of the best lodging deals inside
town. Its two doubles with bathroom cost just

If you'd rather stay in a more standard lodging, Casa Alba

80 per night (varying by
season), while the three rooms that share the other bathroom go for a mere € 35
to

€

50 to

€

60. Decorated with a hodgepodge of furnishings, which are nonetheless clean
and well maintained, each room has satellite TV, air-conditioning, and a small
fridge. A free breakfast is served in the room. Alba, the multilingual energetic
manager, can offer good tips for Luccan dining, shopping, and area attractions.
The only downside here: Rooms are on the third floor, up 53 very steep steps.

€

(Via degli Angeli, 19; % 0583-
469630; www.sanfrediano.com) offer much of the authentic, local flavor of a B&B
and are sometimes cheaper at € 80 for a double. The rooms are somewhat basic,
but the building maintains the feel of its 1600 origins.

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The six rooms of the San Frediano

€€

€€€ A couple of “residence” style lodging options give you the chance to experi-
ence a more traditional setting inside the walls of Lucca. Albergo San Martino
(Via Della Dogana, 9; % 0583-991940) has a quaint B&B feel to it, with a
friendly English-speaking staff, and when I last visited had plans to freshen up the
rooms. A double goes for € 130, which includes a large buffet breakfast.

€€€

In one of the odder modern-meets-traditional hotels you'll ever see, the
Hotel Universo (Piazza del Giglio, 1; % 0583-493678; www.universolucca.

com) combines a classic 19th-century decor in some of the rooms (and the lobby)
with futuristic Jetsons -like decorating in others. The € 120-to- € 140 standard

5