Lucca, the jewel of Tuscany 💎

Fabulous historic recipes, and a centuries old family owned jewelry store

Photo credit

This past week I did a podcast episode with the husband and wife owners (Ilene and Gary Modica) of Our Italian Journey.

Gary's Italian heritage first brought he and Ilene to Italy, and what ensued was a search for the perfect retirement spot, and a step to acquire Italian citizenship. 

(They’ve written two books about their life journey: Our Italian Journey and When Your Heart Finds Its Home)

Initially they had their eyes on Abruzzo but by sheer happenstance ended up spending 10 rainy days in Lucca. Despite the rain they realized almost immediately that Lucca was destined to be their retirement spot. That's where they now live, as full-fledged Italian citizens.

Lucca is an encapsulated walled city; Ilene shared details of a conversation she overheard between a Lucchese (a Lucca local) with a visitor to the area, inquiring what was behind the walls and if anyone could enter. It's such a unique walled city that it isn’t immediately clear if it's accessible to the public.

A New York Times article about Lucca describes it as "a beautiful little Tuscan town protected by massively thick 16th-century walls, featuring some of Italy's finest medieval and Renaissance architecture, superb dining, antique markets, classical and rock music festivals, easy access to stunning nearby villas in the surrounding hills and with endless beaches less than half an hour away.

Lucca is one of Tuscany's best-kept secrets. A wealthy and colorful town that draws a more discerning tourist than Florence or Pisa, it is sufficiently off the beaten track to have kept its civility and reserve.