Florence & Tuscany - Italy - page 1035

LOCAL KNOWLEDGE
A WALLTOP PICNIC
When in Lucca, picnicking atop its city walls - on grass or at a wooden picnic table - is as lovely (and
typical) a Lucchesi lunch as any.
Buy fresh-from-the-oven pizza and focaccia with a choice of fillings and toppings from fabulous 'n'
famed bakery Forno Amedeo Giusti OFFLINE MAP GOOGLE MAP (Via Santa Lucia 20; pizzas &
filled focaccias per kg €9-16; 7am-1pm & 4-7.30pm Mon-Sat, 4-7.30pm Sun) , then nip across the
street for a bottle of Lucchesi wine and Garfagnese biscotti al farro (spelt biscuits) at Antica Bodega
di Prospero OFFLINE MAP GOOGLE MAP (Via Santa Lucia 13; 9am-1pm & 4-7.30pm) ; look for
the old-fashioned shop window fabulously stuffed with sacks of beans, lentils and other local pulses.
Complete the perfect picnic with a slice of buccellato, a traditional sweet bread loaf with sultanas
and aniseed seeds, baked by Taddeucci OFFLINE MAP GOOGLE MAP ( www.taddeucci.com ; Piazza
San Michele 34; buccellato per 300/600/900g loaf €4.50/9/13.50; 8.30am-7.45pm, closed Thu
winter) since 1881. Or tantalise your tastebuds with truffles and other heavenly chocolate creations
from Caniparoli OFFLINE MAP GOOGLE MAP ( www.caniparolicioccolateria.it ; Via San Paolino 96;
9.30am-1pm & 3.30-9.30pm ) , the best cioccolateria (chocolate maker) in town.
Information
Tourist office ( 05 8358 3150; www.comune.lucca.it ; Piazzale Verdi; 9am-7pm summer, to 5.30pm
winter) Free hotel reservations; bicycle hire and a left-luggage service.
Getting There & Away
BUS
From the bus stops around Piazzale Verdi, Vaibus ( www.vaibus.it ) runs services throughout
the region, including to Pisa airport (€3.20, 45 minutes to one hour, 30 daily) and Castel-
nuovo di Garfagnana (€4.20, 1½ hours, eight daily)
CAR & MOTORCYCLE
The A11 runs westwards to Pisa and Viareggio and eastwards to Florence. To access the
Garfagnana, take the SS12 and continue on the SS445.
The easiest parking option is Parcheggio Carducci, just outside Porta Sant'Anna. With-
in the walls, most car parks are for residents only, indicated by yellow lines. Blue lines in-
dicate where anyone, including tourists, can park (€1.50 to €2 per hour). If you are staying
within the city walls, contact your hotel ahead of your arrival and enquire about the pos-
sibility of getting a temporary resident permit during your stay.