48 HOURS IN LUCCA

By the Serchio river within Renaissance-era walls, Lucca's gastronomic treasures are set to delight, as ANASTASIA MIARI discovers.

- ANASTASIA MIARI

COBBLED STREETS, ROMANTIC RAPUNZEL-ESQUE towers and a dramatic oval piazza await those seeking to experience life in a quaint Italian "centro histórico". Within its dramatic Renaissance walls, the evocative Tuscan town of Lucca is a delight for hungry visitors. From steaming porchetta sandwiches and hearty hand-filled tortellini, to the town's pasticcerie that look more akin to jewellers thanks to the colourful sweet treats crammed into their window displays, the food scene of Lucca is the epitome of Tuscan gastronomy. Enjoy it on the streets, by candlelight in hidden osterie, or deep in the woods surrounded by chestnut trees, but enjoy it all the same.

DAY ONE

By day

Start the day in one of Lucca's main squares. Piazza San Michele is where locals converge with their dogs to down a morning espresso and take in the impressive San Michele in Foro church. Head to pasticceria Buccellato Taddeucci for the most impressive selection of pastries and sweet treats of any bakery in town. The traditional option to go for here is the budino di riso, rice pudding filled cakes shaped like ovals that will power you through the day.