We're looking for a base from which to tour Tuscany. Both Cortona and Lucca look interesting - mainly because they are a)historic towns, b)smallish in size and c)have nice in-town apartments for rent. We really don't want to be in the country. Any advice on pros and cons of either/both places? Thanks!
Book Your Next Trip
Check hotel rates and airfares around the world.
Find a great deal?
Tell us about it.
Hotels
Flights
Recent Activity
View all Europe activity »
- 1 Vacation in Paris #201 in Marais
- 2 Train from Orvieto to Rome on 24th December
- 3
Barb's Fab Adventures in Cotswolds, London and Croatia
- 4 1st time to Spain
- 5 Naples, Capri, Sorrento & Pompeii in 1 Day...
- 6 3 week Spain itinerary
- 7 Croatia Travel & Villa Rental Areas
- 8 barcelona for 6 days?
- 9
Rome, revisited
- 10
Barcelona & Andalucia Trip Report - GREAT (but some bad luck)
- 11 Driving from Eastern Europe to London... and I have many questions.
- 12 Copenhagen, Brief Norway & Sweden Itinerary Attempt!
- 13
Two Continents, Four Seas, and a Strait; 15 Incredible Days in Turkey
- 14 Help w/ Quick Itinerary -- Wurzburg/Bamberg/Rothenburg
- 15
Three Coins in the Fountain...A Return Trip To Roma
- 16 Airfare to Paris?
- 17
bfrac & friends–a parade float in Roma/an angel in Orvieto on the first day
- 18 Accademia & Uffizi without advance ticket/reservation in December
- 19 Can’t anybody spell Düsseldorf (Duesseldorf)?
- 20 Florence Experts - Traffic violation question
- 21 British Airways / Chase VISA - 100,000 Exec Club miles signup bonus
- 22
10 DAYS IN ALBA: PALIO, TRUFFLES, AND WINE
- 23
Eurotrip 2011, 40 students to Paris/Florence/Rome/Athens/5 days on Aegean
- 24 Yorkshire or the South?
- 25 Getting From Marco Polo Airport Into Venice
Trip Ideas
Lucca's a real Italian city with serious form: at the centre of a proper bus system, site of a major conference of the J Caesar/Pompey/Cassus triumvirate in the dying days of the Roman Republic, place where Puccini learnt his craft, opera house, railway station, centre of the olive oil industry...
Real town.
Cortona, though it's got a cathedral (but so does every one(long dead) horse village in Italy) is - well an overgrown village.
Which do you like the sound of the more?
Personally I'd go for Cortona, because it's more central for the Piero della Francesca trails. But I suspect most people would plump for Lucca.
Certainly a wider choice of places to eat.
I'm more inclined to Cortona since it's the smaller of the two. We stayed in St. Remy de Provence for a week in October and LOVED it - it appears smaller according to population numbers (St R 10,000+ v Cortona 22,000+). Not sure that's a very reliable way to choose though. On the other hand, there are more choices on apartment rental in Lucca. Too Many Decisions!!! But I do love the planning part of travel.
Thanks.