Just 30 minutes from the Hotel Ercolini e Savi, this “city of 100 churches” is enclosed by a 4km-long, intact 16th century wall which also affords panoramic bike and walking paths. Highlights in the city include the magnificent Piazza dell’Anfiteatro and the Cathedral of San Martino, or Duomo, and the Basilica of San Frediano. The main shopping street, Fillungo, is a lively mix of boutique and craft shops; don’t forget to taste local specialty, the fruit bread buccellato.

The most famous walls in Tuscany enclose a number of excellent festivals each year, including international musical names at the Lucca Summer Festival, and the world-famous comic and graphic festival Lucca Comics and Games.