Lucca

Lucca, in the central Italian region of Tuscany, is one of Italy's less flashy destinations. Favoured by the quieter kind of foreign visitor, Lucca is often whispered of as a secret gem; an alternative to the high-season tourist madness of Florence, or Rome. The first thing you will see arriving in Lucca are the town walls which are very well preserved and still today surround all the old town. Lucca is the only town in Italy entirely surrounded by walls. it is full of pastry shops and bicycles. Lucca was founded by the Etruscans (there are traces of a pre-existing Ligurian settlement) and became a Roman colony in 180 BC. The rectangular grid of its historical centre preserves the Roman street plan, and the Piazza San Michele occupies the site of the ancient forum. Traces of the amphitheatre can still be seen in the Piazza dell'Anfiteatro.