Lucca vs San Gimignano

[Scarlet and grey]

Which do you prefer, Lucca or San Gimignano and why? From Livorno we are hiring a driver for Florence and then we wanted to go to some wineries and olive oil tastings. Which area has better scenery..."under the Tuscan sun kinda look".

 

The tour company suggested one of these two areas to accompany Florence. They said with Lucca, we would have approx. 5 hours in Florence vs 3 hrs with San Gimi. We are in port from 7-7, October and we have never been to Italy.

 

We haven't booked the company I spoke to yet, any favorites? I've searched the boards and the posts on this same topic are pretty old...thought I would get a fresh opinion.

 

Thanks!

[TLCOhio]

Which do you prefer, Lucca or San Gimignano and why? From Livorno we are hiring a driver for Florence and then we wanted to go to some wineries and olive oil tastings. Which area has better scenery..."under the Tuscan sun kinda look". The tour company suggested one of these two areas to accompany Florence. They said with Lucca, we would have approx. 5 hours in Florence vs 3 hrs with San Gimi. We are in port from 7-7, October and we have never been to Italy. We haven't booked the company I spoke to yet, any favorites? I've searched the boards and the posts on this same topic are pretty old...thought I would get a fresh opinion. Thanks!

 

For our literal "neighbor" right here in Columbus (we live in Clintonville), many of the "old" posts are probably pretty accurate. BOTH places are wonderful, but different. We have visited San Gimignano twice (including 1999 during a four-day land tour for Florence and many parts of Tuscany). As detailed in my live/blog below, we also did Lucca, plus San Gimi in June 2011.

 

What's great and different? Lucca is closer to the port and was not as overrun with tourists as we experienced at San Gimi. By contrast, the towered city is set more in the "hill country" that is so super scenic. As you noted, Lucca would allow more time in Florence, which is also very, very important. Clearly, having been in Florence twice (including being there in 1970 plus in 1999), that added time in this spectacular and history city will be a vital super plus. In one port stop, you cannot do it "ALL" in just one day, nor even half or a quarter of what is here. Same is true for Rome and Naples/Amalfi Coast port stops.

 

Lucca is a bit of contrast/conflict as Europe's mightiest Renaissance walled city that has not seen a battle since 1430. Its ramparts are like a circular park. It is a two-and-a-half mile circuit around the walls. Lucca's walls took lots of work and money, but they combined with clever diplomacy to earned the city a long period of independence, wealth and power.

 

In its heyday, Lucca was packed over 100 towers within its walls. Each tower was the home and private fortress of a wealthy merchant family. Towers were single rooms stacked atop each other: shop, living room and then the kitchen, etc. One of Lucca's tallest surviving tower is famous for being capped with a bushy little forest. As the home town of famed composer Giacomo Puccini, Lucca has many connections with one of the world's greatest opera composers and other artists. Puccini's arias capture the spirit of this wonderful part of Italy.

 

Lucca's appeal is in its relaxed, old-world ambiance. Walk around!! Take the time to let this city unfold to capture your heart. Romanesque churches seem to be around every corner, along with piazzas and interesting architecture. The main pedestrian street is Via Fillungo. Strolling here, past classy old store fronts, you will get a samples of Lucca's rich past and charming present. Piazza Amphitheater was built around an ancient Roman arena. The arena is long gone, but its oval shape is a reminder of the city's classical heritage. Locals have been gathering here for two thousand years. Piazza San Michele also has ancient roots. It has hosted a market since Roman times, when it was the forum. Today, it's dominated by the Church of San Michele.

 

San Gimignano is a small, walled, hill town in Tuscany. Famous for its medieval architecture, especially its towers, San Gimignano was founded as a small village in the 3rd century BC by the Etruscans. In the Middle Ages and Renaissance era, it was a stopping point for Catholic pilgrims on their way to Rome and the Vatican. The city flourished until 1348, when the Black Death, affecting all of Europe, compelled it to go under the control of Florence. San Gimignano became a secondary location until the 19th century, when its status as a touristic and artistic resort became famous.

 

Tea with Mussolini, a 1999 drama about the plight of English and American expatriate women during World War II, was filmed in part at San Gimignano. The frescoes that the women save from being destroyed during the German Army's withdrawal are inside the Duomo, the town's main church. Lots of charm and character here in this unique location all of its historic treasures/beauty. Plus, whether needed or not, lots of shops, tourists, etc.!!

 

Reactions and added questions??

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Celebrity Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 118,072 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

 

 

In Lucca, this is the San Michele church, built in the 11th-14th centuries. It is in the heart of this walled town.:

 

 

 

Lucca has so many cute and interesting shops. Here is one example that we enjoyed so much. It is the Antico Caffe Dei Simo at Via Fillungo 58. Its origins date back to 1846 and has seen famed artists such as Verdi and Puccini pass through its doors.:

 

 

 

There are many, many churches in Lucca. Here is one of older ones in this walled town. This view is framed by the arches of a nearby building structure.:

 

 

 

We had visited San Gimignano in 1999 with our son, but it is a town that is always impressive in history and architectural styles. We had lunch here. Below is a long-shot of the hill town with its tower from the wonderful countryside below and nearby.

 

 

 

Within San Gimignano, here is a view of the main Cathedral Square, etc.:

 

 

 

This is a view in San Gimignano showing the narrowness of its streets, the buildings and flags with one of the main towers that give this hill town its distinct character.:

 

[Hlitner]

We love both places and have actually stayed just outside of San Gimignano (for a week). Lucca is much more convenient for cruise passengers docked at Livorno since you can easily get to Lucca on the train. San Gimignano is more remote and is best accessed by a car/bus. Keep in mind that you can pretty much see San Gimignano in a couple of hours (unless you decide to have lunch). We would add that Florence is one of the top tourist destinations in Europe (and the world) and we usually recommend that a first-time visitor try to maximize their time in Florence.

 

Hank

[Scarlet and grey]

Thank you both for your insight! Still gathering information before we make a final decision.

 

Kim

[Scarlet and grey]

Hi there! Glad to hear from you...we live in Powell! Thank you for responding! So much to see in so little time makes it a hard decision. Luckily, we have until October to make our final decision.

[TLCOhio]

Hi there! Glad to hear from you...we live in Powell! Thank you for responding! So much to see in so little time makes it a hard decision. Luckily, we have until October to make our final decision.

 

Hi, to our good neighbor in Powell. With so many good to great options, it is hard to decide what to do for each of these prime ports. Here's a tip and secret . . . you can only do a limited amount with your first visit to certain of these locations. Look upon this trip as . . . your first sampling . . . and plan on making return trips in the future. That's just the way it is. Don't drive yourself crazy by making it too much of a "hard decision". Decide, go with it and enjoy the great experience.

 

Let me know any other questions. If you'd to chat more by phone about these various options, your personal interests, etc., just shoot me your e-mail and I will follow-up.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Celebrity Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 118,400 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

[hylasgirl]

I would say if you are going to hire a driver, definitely head to San G. I did a wine tasting tour with Romeinlimo and it was definitely one of the best tours we've had with them and we've done a lot! Lucca is nice and easy... but I wouldn't say it has the same charm as San G. Still nice, don't get me wrong but definitely not the same "Tuscan" feel.

 

Enjoy!

[beeba]

We have been to San Gimignano during our shore excursion from Livorno and we loved it. Its surroundings are gorgeous (the typical Tuscan countryside you see in pictures). The city itself gives you the idea of a typical medieval village (of course in the tourist version) and the shopping opportunities are great!:)

[samavarcruiser]

Do NOT miss San Gimiganano, we spend one of the most memorable days out in Tuscany last year

[Scarlet and grey]

Do NOT miss San Gimiganano, we spend one of the most memorable days out in Tuscany last year

 

Thanks for yor input! We are leaning toward skipping Florence to see San Gimignano and the countryside with wineries instead.

[caviargal]

We found SG to be incredibly touristy and packed with daytrippers.

 

With over 20 trips to Italy since the 70s and a good bit of time spent in this region, we would definitely opt for Lucca.

[Hlitner]

We found SG to be incredibly touristy and packed with daytrippers.

 

With over 20 trips to Italy since the 70s and a good bit of time spent in this region, we would definitely opt for Lucca.

 

Agree that SG is often full of day tourists.....but would also have to say that there is a good reason this place is so popular with tours. We ourselves loved spending a couple of vacations in the area and our favorite time to go into SG was late afternoon/early evening when all the day trippers were long gone. The town is quite eerie late at night when the streets are empty. DW said she would often think about the fact that folks were walking those same streets over 2000 years ago. The town was also used for many scenes in the movie "Tea with Mussolini."

 

The logic of avoiding popular places because they are popular never made a lot of sense to me since these places are often popular for good cause.

 

Hank

[Ctaycruiser]

Both Lucca and San G are gorgous, so you can't go wrong with either IMO. Lucca seemed to be less croweded than San G, but watch out for the locals on bikes in Lucca...since the town is very flat and cars restricted, we've never seen so many locals using bikes for transportation ever :)