We spent a couple of nights in this delightful former brothel during our Back-Roads Touring tour of Tuscany and the Cinque Terre. Lucca is an ancient walled city and our mini-coach had to park outside the city walls, leaving us with a short walk through streets and alleyways to the hotel whilst our lovely driver Sergio and the hotel porters brought up our luggage.
Manager Fabrizio provided a warm welcome and showed us to our rooms. Each room is named after one of the former brothel's ladies of the night and our room, Nucca, was just up the stairs from the breakfast area. We felt as though we were guests in a friend's villa. Beamed ceilings abound but our bathroom was fully modernised with a jacuzzi. TV and mood lighting.
There was a delicious choice of healthy food available at breakfast alongside some amazing looking homemade fruit pies and a good range of fruit and veg drinks. The menu indicates which opera singer is being piped through the speakers each day – we had Bocelli singing Puccini which was very apt as Lucca is Puccini's birthplace.
There are Puccini concerts every night in a neighbouring church and we were lucky enough to get tickets to see two talented sopranos and a pianist performing songs from Madame Butterfly, Tosca and many others. A truly spine tingling experience, followed by a delicious pizza in the restaurant Il Tabarro just on the corner of the alleyway leading to the hotel. It is easy to lose your way back to the hotel so make sure you take note of your bearings as you set out to visit the fascinating and historical town of Lucca.
Should I be lucky enough to return to Lucca, I'd certainly wish to stay at this hotel close enough to the town's main attractions but far enough away from the hustle and bustle of the centre to offer a peaceful night's sleep.
