Villages near Lucca worth the trip: 13 I love

Last updated: October 2026

Lucca is lovely. But I lived about half an hour away, in the hills above Pescia, and I’ll let you into a secret: the best bit of Lucca is how close it is to everything else. Drive twenty minutes in almost any direction and you’re in a stone village where the bar shuts for lunch and nobody’s in a hurry.

These are the villages near Lucca I think are really worth the trip, grouped by direction so you can string two or three together in a day. Some are famous round here and nowhere else. A couple are tiny. All of them are within about an hour of the walls.

Villages near Lucca at a glance

Village	Direction	By car from Lucca	Best for
Montecarlo	East	About 25 min	Wine, walls, views
Collodi	East	About 30 min	Pinocchio, Villa Garzoni garden
Pietrabuona	East	About 35 min	Paper museum, first of the ten castles
Sorana	East	About 45 min	Beans, quiet lanes
Vellano	East	About 45 min	Stone, chestnuts, flowers
Pontito	East	About 1 hour	The view, the steps
Pieve di Brancoli	North	About 30 min	A Romanesque church in the hills
Celle dei Puccini	North	About 35 min	Puccini family home
Borgo a Mozzano	North	About 35 min	The Devil’s Bridge
Bagni di Lucca	North	About 40 min	Old spa town, river walks
Barga	North	About 45 min	Duomo, Apuan Alps, Scottish links
Coreglia Antelminelli	North	About 50 min	Plaster figurine museum
Torre del Lago	West	About 30 min	Puccini’s villa by the lake

East: towards Pescia and the ten castles

This is my patch, so forgive me if I go on. Head east out of Lucca and the plain gives way to vineyards, olive groves and then chestnut woods. My guide to where to stay near Lucca and the Svizzera Pesciatina covers bases out this way.

Montecarlo

No, not that Monte Carlo. Tuscany’s Montecarlo is a small walled village on a hill, surrounded by vineyards, with its own wine, Montecarlo DOC. It’s about 25 minutes from Lucca by car.

The village was laid out next to an older fortress, the Rocca del Cerruglio, in the 1330s and named after the young Prince Charles of Bohemia: Mons Karoli, the Mount of Charles. The fortress is now a private historic house that opens for visits, with guided tours by booking (checked 30 October 2026 on fortezzadimontecarlo.com; their published hours vary, so ring ahead). Walk the main street, have a glass of the local white, and look out across the plain towards the Pisan hills.

Collodi

Pinocchio’s village, about 17 km from Lucca and on the E6 bus. The Villa Garzoni garden tumbles down the hill in Baroque staircases, and the old village climbs above it. In 2026 an adult ticket for the Pinocchio park, garden and Butterfly House is €26, or €19 for the garden and Butterfly House only. My Tuscany with kids post has the family details.

Pietrabuona

The first of the ten castles of the Svizzera Pesciatina, a few minutes up the valley from Pescia. Most people drive straight past. Please don’t. Stop, walk up, and visit the Museo della Carta in the old paper mill, open Monday, Wednesday and Saturday, 10am to 6pm in 2026. My Pietrabuona guide.

Sorana

Everyone knows Sorana for its beans, small, thin-skinned and grown on the sandy banks of the stream below the village. But it’s a proper castle village too, perched on its hillside. Read my Sorana post, then the story of the Sorana bean, and if you’d like to cook them, there’s a full recipe on my recipes page.

Vellano

Vellano sits high in the Valleriana, a village of stone lanes, flowers on every step and pink houses. It always felt a little grander than its neighbours, and there’s a reason for that. From Lucca allow about 45 minutes. My Vellano guide.

Pontito

If you only remember one of the ten castles, it’ll be Pontito. At about 750 metres, it spreads down its hillside like an upside-down fan, every lane climbing to the church at the top. Allow about an hour from Lucca and fill up with fuel in Pescia first. My Pontito guide.

To see more of the valley, follow my driving route round all ten castles, with Fibbialla, Stiappa, Castelvecchio and the rest. Stiappa’s beccutini festa in August is worth planning a trip round.

North: up the Serchio valley

The road north follows the river Serchio into the mountains. It’s an easy, beautiful drive, and the railway runs alongside it, so a few of these work without a car.

Pieve di Brancoli

Only about half an hour from Lucca, but hardly anyone goes. Up in the hills above Vinchiana, the Pieve di San Giorgio is an 11th-century Romanesque church in pale stone, kept open thanks to local volunteers. A short, twisty drive and a lot of quiet.

Celle dei Puccini

The tiny hill village where Puccini’s family came from, in the comune of Pescaglia, about 24 km from Lucca. The family house is now a small museum, open Thursday 2pm to 6pm, Friday and Saturday 9am to 1pm and 2pm to 6pm, and Sunday 2pm to 6pm. Put “Celle dei Puccini, Pescaglia” in the satnav. My visit to Celle dei Puccini.

Borgo a Mozzano

Stop here on the way up the valley for the Ponte della Maddalena, better known as the Devil’s Bridge, a tall humpbacked stone bridge over the Serchio. Tradition credits Matilda of Canossa with the first bridge around the 11th century; the bridge you see owes most to a rebuild in the 1300s. As for the devil, the story goes that he built it in a night in exchange for the first soul to cross, and the locals sent a dog across first (or a pig, depending on who tells it). Park and walk across. It’s steeper than it looks.

Bagni di Lucca

Along the river Lima, Bagni di Lucca was a fashionable spa resort in the 1800s, full of British visitors and poets. Today it’s quieter and greener, with faded villas and river walks. Look for the Ponte delle Catene between Fornoli and Chifenti, a chain suspension bridge begun in 1840 by the Lucca architect Lorenzo Nottolini, and the English Cemetery, authorised in 1842 for the English and other Protestant visitors. It’s on the railway, too: see my day trips by train and bus. More on the old baths in my hot springs guide.

Barga

Italy’s “most Scottish town”, on its hill with the Apuan Alps behind. Walk up through the old town to the Duomo for one of the best views in this part of Tuscany. About 45 minutes by car, or train to Barga-Gallicano and the bus up. My Barga day trip has the full story.

Coreglia Antelminelli

A hill village above the valley with an unusual little museum: the Museo della Figurina di Gesso e dell’Emigrazione, telling the story of the local plaster figurine makers who took their trade across Europe and beyond. From June to September it opens weekdays 10am to 1pm, and Sundays and holidays 10am to 1pm and 4pm to 7pm (checked 30 October 2026 on the comune’s website). Outside the summer, ring the museum first on 0583 78082.

Keep going and you’re in the Garfagnana, about an hour from Lucca. That’s a whole trip of its own: my Garfagnana guide.

West: towards the lake and the sea

Torre del Lago

If Celle is where Puccini’s family came from, Torre del Lago is where he made his home, in a villa on Lake Massaciuccoli, about half an hour from Lucca. He’s buried in the villa’s little chapel. The Villa Museo Puccini has seasonal hours, so check before you go. More in my best day trips from Lucca.

Two easy days out

The ten castles day (car): Montecarlo for a morning coffee, then Collodi, Pietrabuona and up to Pontito or Vellano. Lunch in the valley, home via Pescia.

The Serchio valley day (car or train): Borgo a Mozzano for the Devil’s Bridge, Barga for the Duomo and lunch, then Bagni di Lucca on the way back. Add Celle dei Puccini on a Thursday to Sunday.

Getting there

• By car: by far the easiest. Most of these are on narrow hill roads; take it slowly and use your horn on blind bends. Read my driving in Tuscany guide before you hire, especially for the ZTL zones.
• Parking in Lucca: Carducci and Palatucci car parks are outside the ZTL and capped at €8 a day in 2026.
• Without a car: Collodi by E6 bus, the Serchio valley by train. The ten castles really need a car or a driver. My train and bus day trips has the timetables and fares.
• By bike: fit and keen? My cycling from Lucca guide has the valley rides.

Want to find more? My Village Finder maps every village on the site, so you can see what’s near where you’re staying. And for Lucca itself, start with my Lucca page.

Times and opening hours change. Everything here was checked 30 October 2026, but please check before you go.

FAQ

What is the prettiest village near Lucca?

For me it’s Pontito, in the Svizzera Pesciatina, about an hour away. Barga comes a close second, and it’s easier to get to.

Which villages near Lucca can I visit without a car?

Collodi is on the E6 bus. Bagni di Lucca and Barga are on the railway up the Serchio valley (for Barga, take the bus or a taxi up from Barga-Gallicano station). The ten castle villages above Pescia have very few buses.

Is Montecarlo near Lucca worth visiting?

Yes, especially if you like wine. It’s a small walled village about 25 minutes from Lucca, in its own wine area, Montecarlo DOC, with views across the plain.

How far is Barga from Lucca?

About 45 minutes by car, up the Serchio valley. Stop at the Devil’s Bridge in Borgo a Mozzano on the way.

Where can I see Puccini’s family home?

In Celle dei Puccini, a hamlet of Pescaglia about 24 km north of Lucca. The museum opens Thursday to Sunday.

More from the hills

• 8 small villages in Tuscany you’ve probably never heard of
• Best day trips from Lucca
• Le Dieci Castella driving route
• The Garfagnana
• Pescia

Susan

Photo credits: The Ponte della Maddalena (the Devil’s Bridge) at Borgo a Mozzano (photo: Myrabella, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons). Other photos are my own.