Lucca/Pisa Wine Tasting and Lunch

Old Apr 13th, 2010, 04:17 AM
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rka
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Lucca/Pisa Wine Tasting and Lunch

We will have a day in Lucca and Pisa this July and I am desperately searching for venue for a fine lunch and private wine tasting within a short drive from either of these cities. It is a once in a lifetime trip and I am having trouble finding venues that would cater for this kind of experience... Can anyone advise?
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Old Apr 13th, 2010, 11:00 AM
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Buca di Sant'Antonio in the heart of Lucca is one of the very best restaurants of its kind in Italy, so you might consider eating there. Lucca also has a number of quality wine stores, and with a little research you could no doubt either find one in town where you could sample a number of wines, or drive outside to visit a winery after lunch.

If you are very keen on a countryside lunch, google up La Mora and La Nina, both very near Lucca, in the hills above it. I've never eaten in either, but both are highly regarded.

I'm surprised people try to combine Pisa and Lucca in a single day, unless they are really not much interested in architecture. If you are, try to separate them, or if not, I suggest going to Pisa very early in the morning and heading to Lucca in time for lunch, and then planning to spend the remainder of the day there.
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Old Apr 13th, 2010, 11:08 AM
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My wife and I also combined Pisa and Lucca as a daytrip from Montorosso (which I highly recommend). I'd say to skip it, but with that iconic tower I know it's tough. Having said that, I agree that going early to Pisa, seeing the tower and heading to Lucca is probably best use of time. Lucca has such amazing architecture and walking along the city walls was one of our favorite experiences. I guess what I'm saying is that combining a separate wine tasting with these along the way may not be practical and lead to unnecessary anxiety.

Enjoy your trip!
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Old Apr 13th, 2010, 11:09 AM
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When I said skip it, I meant Pisa.
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Old Apr 14th, 2010, 02:47 AM
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The architectural complex in Pisa is one of the most beautiful and architecturally important in Europe, and the interior of the Duomo one of the most important in Italy. The campanille (leaning tower) is to me the single most beautiful one I've seen in Italy. The interior of the Bapistery in fascinating and lovely in multiple ways. The area of the monuments in Pisa is so compact, It is possible to see the entire complex and visit the small museum of the Duomo in under 3 hours. If anything needs to be sacrificed for time, I recommend skipping climbing the tower, and taking a picture of pretending to hold up the tower, and the tourist kiosks nearby.

Lucca is not compact, and while it has a tiny fraction of the stunning artistic and architectural accomplishments of Pisa, it has many lovely and historically interesting piazze and churches, and some unique fascinations, and walking on top of the walls to view the town is a highlight. It takes more than a day to experience the best of Lucca, so if it all possible, I recommend separating them, especially if you have a strong interest in architecture, town planning, gardens or Italian history.

But if your main interest in visiting Italian art cities is mainly the experience of being inside a centuries-old walled city without cars or much modernization, than however much time you personally enjoy doing that is plenty, and Pisa can be skipped.
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Old Apr 14th, 2010, 04:50 AM
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There us a kocal AC (sorry I mean DOC or IGT) to the NE of Lucca (very close by) I'd look for a restaurant there and or the village web site to see if anyone does a tasting.
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Old Apr 14th, 2010, 05:47 AM
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thanks zeppole, chadnycity and bilboburgler for your quick responses!! so appreciated!!
not to diminish the beauty of the architecture and other artistic offerings of the 2 cities, we are limited on time and with such a hectic schedule the rest of our time in Italy I was hoping to have a more relaxing day, focusing on the wine and a leisurely lunch amongst friends....
I would definitely like to spend a few hours on the monuments of Pisa in the morning and will look in to the suggestions of zeppole for Lucca in the afternoon...
bilbogurlger - any more specifics on the wine venue NE of Lucca, i am not having much luck with google....?
Mile grazie again!
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Old Apr 14th, 2010, 12:34 PM
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Ah, the majority of info on Google is map based! Go to Map, put Lucca in the centre and then put the words in the search.

The Fattoria di Fubbiano stretches across 45 hectares along the Lucca hills, between the village of Tofori and San Gennaro, an area where wine has been produced since the 14th century. 16 hectares are used for wine production with an average annual yield of around 60,000 bottles, 80% of which are red and white DOC Colline Lucchesi. The Fattoria di Fubbiano produces six Colline Lucchesi DOC wines: Red, White, the Villa di Fubbiano and San Gennaro crus, Vermentino and Vin Santo; two IGT (Indicazione Geografica Tipica) wines: Fubianello and one barrique wine, I Pampini; as well as the grappa, Aqua Vitae, and the wine vinegar; Aceto di Vino, both made from the farm's own grapes and marc.
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Old Apr 14th, 2010, 12:38 PM
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Now the Fattoria is one place you could look at or you could seach on the villages or the wines themselves. I went to a tasting in Lucca centre and its ok (in my prejudice I hate white Italian so that limits my appreciation.
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