Gluttony Is No Sin in Tuscany

In Tuscany, time is measured in meals. That was the lesson I took from our tour guide Gabriele who led us on a cycling tour around the walled city of Lucca. Nestled in the northwest corner of Tuscany, Lucca is a gourmand paradise located just inland from the Ligurian sea. We were cycling atop the 16^th-century ramparts that secured the Republic of Lucca throughout the Renaissance. With a circumference of 2.6 miles, the broad landscaped promenade is perfect for strolling and biking—and picnicking. Following behind Gabriele, we took a detour under the bulwark to better see the stone and earthwork foundations that provide a hydrological function similar to a terrarium.

Among the various artworks lining the underground passageway was a reproduction of a painting of a cardinal wearing a vermilion garment known as “the coat of sixty soups.” As Gabriele explained, the Cardinal served only sixty days—or long enough to eat sixty soups. In other words, time in Tuscany is measured by the meals you eat, which seemed like the most sensible way to experience Lucca and the surrounding region.

Nothing whets an appetite like biking, and so we headed to Gabriele’s favorite focaccia shop, Forno F. Casali, where the focaccia is served warm and drizzled with local olive oil and a pinch of sea salt. There are countless variations of this leavened flatbread throughout Italy, and everyone in Lucca has their favorite, but I certainly wouldn’t dispute the superiority of Forno F. Casali, and its regional corn focaccia made from corn flour and puffed corn kernels.

Similar to the High Line in Manhattan, or any other elevated park, the city walls of Lucca enable a bird’s eye view onto the city enclosed within its walls. More than 37 varieties of botanical trees are planted throughout the city and when walking or biking along the promenade, Lucca looks like a rooftop garden. The region’s abundance of olive trees fueled the growth of a family grocer named Bertolli, whose global company was founded in Lucca in 1865. Today, a wide variety of local olive oils are available throughout numerous bottegas in the labyrinthine medieval city.

At Palazzo Pfaner, we took a pit stop as Gabriele pointed toward the 17^th-century palace which was used as a locale for Jane Campion’s film The Portrait of a Lady. For more than 500 years, Lucca remained an independent republic and a center of the Tuscan silk trade during the Renaissance. Silk merchants and the ruling families transformed Lucca into a wealthy hub of culture and diplomacy.

One of Lucca’s most successful silk merchants was the Mansi family whose 16^th-century palazzo is now home to Grand Universe La Residenza. Opened in 2023, the luxury villa offers ten one- and two-bedroom residences with fully equipped kitchens that feature Nespresso machines, convection ovens, microwaves, and cutlery and china for entertaining. In keeping with the building’s pedigree, the mid-century furnishings and window treatments are upholstered in silk fabrics.

My two-bedroom apartment was 775 square feet with two bathrooms, a dining area, and several 65” flat screen televisions. Guests at the ten-suite villa have access to amenities offered at Grand Universe Lucca Hotel. A member of Autograph Collection, the hotel is a short two-minute walk across the Piazza del Giglio and directly opposite the opera house named for Giacomo Puccini.

Designated as an Italian “Città d’arte” (City of Art), Lucca is the birthplace of classical composers Puccini and Boccherini and the city remains a vibrant hub for music. Each summer, Lucca Summer Festival attracts hundreds of thousands of music lovers for its annual concert series with guests such as Pet Shop Boys, Alanis Morissette, Morrissey, Bryan Adams, and others. For more than fifty years,  the city has hosted the annual Lucca Comics & Games convention, the largest comics festival in Europe.

One of the locales for the Lucca Summer Festival is Piazza dell’Anfiteatro which was built atop the remains of the 2^nd-century Roman amphitheater. We biked into the northeast quadrant of the walled city where the buildings around Piazza dell’Anfiteatro replicate the original elliptical footprint of the ancient amphitheater. Lined with outdoor cafés, Piazza dell’Anfiteatro provides a perfect setting for a late afternoon aperol spritz served with fresh bruschetta.

As the sun set over Lucca, we headed to Grand Universe Lucca for a rooftop aperitivo. What was once a glassblower’s studio in ancient Rome became a majestic palazzo during the Renaissance—and then a hotel in 1857. Throughout its history, the hotel has hosted numerous artists and intellectuals, including Puccini and jazz legends such as Chet Baker. Today, the restored palazzo offers 55 rooms and suites, as well as a wine bar and lounge, restaurant, and wine cellar. From our rooftop aerie at the Sommità Martin Orsyn Champagne Rooftop Bar, we sipped champagne as the sunset blanketed the foothills of the Apuan Alps in a palette of Tuscan pastels.

When traveling in Italy, breakfast is mandatory. The buffet at Grand Universe Lucca is laden with homemade cakes and local honey as well as seasonal fruits and vegetables, smoked fish, Parma ham, and local cheeses. One morning at a neighboring table, a six-year-old boy started singing his Latin mass. I would’ve happily listened longer to his choir practice were it not for our guided tour of the marble basin of Carrara, a UNESCO World Heritage Centre.

From a distance, the peaks of the Apuan Alps appear to be snow-capped, even in summer—but that’s a trick of the eye. What you’re actually seeing is marble. For centuries, Carrara marble has been the ne plus ultra for sculpture. Just ask Michelangelo—or take a closer look at his David.

Wearing hard hats and safety vests, we joined Toscana Tour Experience and headed up the mountain to the marble basins more than 1,000 meters above sea level. Our four-wheel-drive, off-road Jeep vehicle was deftly maneuvered by an intrepid female with no apparent fear of the mountain’s narrow serpentine roads and its treacherous switchbacks. As for the rest of us, we held our collective breath as we gazed down at the sheer cliff face we were scaling.

Since ancient Rome, the extraction of marble has continued for over two thousand years. We drove deep inside the mountain through the horizontal tunnels where the soaring height recalled ancient cathedrals. More than 70 quarries mine Carrara marble in its various shades of color from black to white. Known as Michelangelo’s quarry, the Torano basin is where the sculptor chose the marble blocks from which he released his sculptures such as David and Pietà.

Up until the 1960s, massive slabs of marble were transported from the marble basins by a process known as lizzatura which employed rope, soap, and timber. The quarrymen who were known as lizzatori were rewarded for their courage and strength with a local “salumi” and “lardo” that has been produced in the village of Colonnata by the Giannarelli family since 1953. At the family-owned larderia and sausage factory, the lardo is paired with homemade bread and offered with pancetta and guanciale—and all of it cured in marble basins as it has been done for centuries.

From Carrara, we headed to Podere Còncori, the family-run biodynamic vineyard located in the foothills between the Apennines and the Apuan Alps. For more than 25 years, Gabriele Da Prato has produced exceptional biodynamic Còncori wines on the steep slopes of Gallicano. At Podere Còncori, Da Prato and his wife and children have created a bucolic sanctuary, complete with a resident donkey named Pietro who has his own Instagram account.

As Susanna Da Prato states, “All our production is organic and biodynamic, ensuring that we work in harmony with nature and the environment. By using sustainable, biodynamic practices, we nurture the land while producing wines that are a reflection of the local landscape.” The beautifully named Melograno is 100% Syrah and a perfect complement to the home-cooked meal served in the vineyard’s restaurant. We dined on fresh focaccia that rivalled the best of Lucca, followed by delicate gnudi with garlic flower pesto.

In the nearby town of Barga, we meandered along the narrow medieval streets as twilight veiled the cathedral at the town’s summit. Surrounded by a castle wall with two surviving gates, Barga is often regarded as the most Scottish village in Italy due to a reverse migration in which Italian expatriates returned home from Scotland. During the off-season, there’s a hush throughout the town that evokes Brigadoon awaiting release from its 100-year-nap, and there’s even a British red telephone box which serves as a free library.

Locals gather at Ristorante Scacciaguai which is named for the Italian phrase “Leave your cares behind.” Owned and operated by two brothers and a sister, the family-run restaurant buzzes with conviviality during white truffle season. We ordered it all: truffles with eggs, and truffle tagliolini, and truffle with prime rib, all paired with local biodynamic wines.

One of the best ways to work off pasta from the night before is with a hike through the Tuscan foothills. At Pian di Fiume, the farm is located halfway up the hill above the river Lima. With the help of numerous conservationists, the medieval farm has returned to its sustainable origins through the use of solar panels, natural materials, and an overall respect for the environment. Located in the original horse stables, the farmhouse restaurant offers traditional Tuscan cuisine utilizing seasonal produce, homemade pastas, and farm fresh dairy and eggs. The Italian breads are baked in a wood oven, and the local wines from Lucca are produced primarily from Sangiovese grapes of protected designation of origin (DOP).

If time in Tuscany is measured in meals, then there’s never enough time, because there’s always more you want to eat. No matter where I wandered in Lucca and Barga, I found another enoteca or osteria, another pasticceria or bottega, all of them calling to me like a Siren. Gradually, I realized that the only way I would be completely sated in Tuscany was to never leave. Which gave me plenty to think about as I ordered another aperol spritz and some fresh bruschetta.