We are on a cruise in July and will be docking for the day in Livorno for a day. Lucca and San Gimignana are two towns I have always wanted to visit and I wandered if anyone had any advise as to which direction we should head. A friend of mine recently visited San Gimignana and had lunch at a restaurant that I cant for the life of me remember the name , but if I hear it mentioned I will ....any suggestions.

Alternatively is to visit the chosen town, and then to have lunch at a farm or agriturismo in the area. I imagine a barn or under a big tree - perhaps my imagaination is running away with me.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Oh, I nearly forgot the most important is does anyone know of a reputable private taxi driver that I can approach as we obviously will not have a car.

{typo in title corrected}

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Jonathan,

I am a Lucca fan myself. Two good drivers I know of near Lucca:
Bruno Massoni - bruno.massoni@libero.it
Tiziana - info@tuscanydream.org
Please mention that Matteo from Gruppo Arts Sojourn recommended them to you. Use an English/Italian translator program in your email to Bruno. Tiziana speaks some English. You will not have a problem with either of them even if you do not speak italian.

We spent 3 nights in Lucca in September--we can't wait to go back. San Gimignano is also a nice day trip--but between the two it would be Lucca.

quote:

Originally posted by Calzan:
A friend of mine recently visited San Gimignana and had lunch at a restaurant that I cant for the life of me remember the name , but if I hear it mentioned I will ....any suggestions.

Was it the Chiribiri? I can understand that. However, if you only have one day, maybe Lucca would be the better choice.

Personally I find San Gimignano more interesting than Lucca, particularly visually. I'm not a big shopper, and Lucca always strikes me as one large outdoor mall, so maybe that's my problem.

My least favorite spot in all of Italy is San Gimignano, so I'm probably the last person in the world to respond (but here I go )

Lucca is a very tourist friendy town. The streets are made for strolling; the bike trip around the wall is a lifetime memory; there is a variety of architecture and history to entertain you....and there is a perfectly good tower to climb to satisfy that part of the visit.

San Gimignano is a beautiful photo op from the road leading to the town. Once inside, you find yourself assaulted by the shoulder-jostling crowds on narrow, tourist store-lined streets.

If you are willing to go as far as San Gimignano, however, you might want to add Volterra into the mix as another option for a town that is very different from both Lucca and San Gimignano.

quote:

San Gimignano is a beautiful photo op from the road leading to the town. Once inside, you find yourself assaulted by the shoulder-jostling crowds on narrow, tourist store-lined streets.

That is more or less my view of San Gimignano, too. From a distance, on the road, it looked majestic. But once through the gate, it almost felt like Disneyland. I spent a day there, and in that time, felt like I could've counted the number of locals I saw on one hand. It's a pretty town (although maybe almost a bit *too* clean, if that makes sense?), but I almost think the surrounding countryside would be more worth exploring. Personally, I'd prefer Volterra.

That said, Lucca is larger than SG, obviously, and therefore less suited to a day trip. But then again, Lucca is still definitely on the smaller side, and I'm sure plenty of people have done the day-trip thing there just fine. Personally, I think Lucca deserves at least a few days (and that, while it's not my favorite Tuscan town, I do think it has more to offer than just shopping). But my traveling style is a bit slower, so that's my bias.

lucca is not one of my favorites, so i would send you off to san gimignano... even with the crowds, its pretty special. get waaaay off the beaten path - walk around on the outside of the city walls (there's a path) and take the side streets back into town. the views are amazing.

for a private driver, i use licio comisso, who owns "tuscarent". he is honest, reliable, and fun. and he speaks english.
www.tuscarent.com
email: licio@freeinternet.it

coming from livorno on a cruise ship for a day, I say Lucca!

I work with people coming in from the ships to Florence for food and wine tours.
the arrive about 7:30 if all goes well, you get off the boat about 8:30, then take off.
Coming into Florence takes about 1 1/2 hours, lately taking 2 hours due to work on the highway.

so they get in around 11am ( San Gimignano is farther) then they have to leave around 4pm to get back to the boat to leave again around 7pm.

I would want more time in a village than driving.

I see San Gimignano from my house, but I would go to Lucca, it is lovely.

I've stayed in both and love Lucca more. However, when we were on a cruise two years ago and stopped in Livorno, I had a heck of a time finding a reasonable driver for the day. So, we chose to do our one and only ship's tour. We were shocked that we had a great day. First, we went to San Gimigniano for the morning and were on our own, then we all went to lunch at a farmhouse and finally, stopped in Volterra and were on our own for about an hour before returning to the ship. It was a bargain after hiring private drivers for most of the trip and a great day.

I've spent time in both Lucca (two days) and San Gimigniano (day trip). I liked them both. For a a day trip, my vote goes to San Gimnagniano. Volterra was a nice brief visit, too.

Thank you all so much - I need to take some time later today to read all the replies and investigate further - once again such valuable information Thanks so much

I have never been to Lucca, although it is on "my list" someday so cannot answer which of the two towns to visit. I have been to San Gimigniano more than once and I must say that many years ago it was a lesser-known place to visit it was lovely and small and quaint. Today I agree with other's views of it being somewhat of a "disneyland-esque" type experience.

However, I CAN recommend a fabulous driver/private tour guide - Luca Garapa of www.hillsandroads.com. He is an intelligent and very amicable young man who speaks fluent English, Spanish (I think French) and of course Italian. He is based around the Siena area and will tailor-make a day for you based on your time, desires and capabilities. We had used him about 2 years ago for two separate touring days when we were in Florence for a week and he was the reason we fell in love with the Val d'Orcia region, so much so, that we soon afterwards went back to spend an entire week in Montalcino.

Good luck and enjoy.

Reading everyone else's replies I'm reminded that I've only visited San Gimignano in the winter, so I haven't had the experience of shoulder-to-shoulder crowds or the Disney-like experience, but I can see how that could happen.

One last opinion........I say Lucca. For most of the same reasons given already, so I won't be redundant. I've spent a couple of weeks there and find it charming, slow, fairly quiet. But then, you'll be in Italy, where it's hard not to have a great experience...

Ciao,
Cheryl

Hi Cshock - No it was not Chiribi - it started with a 'B' - but I will call my friend out of interest and let you know. However Chiribi looks divine...

Thanks to all the other members who have given me such valuable contacts....

Lisa

we are in lucca right now. I bet you guess where my vote goes! Lucca is an amazing spot to spend some time. There are wonderful restaurants, shops, churches to admire, art, and museums.

This is the birthplace of pucinni and this year is the 150 anniversary of his birth. Tonight before dinner we went to a performance of some of his work held in San Giovianni church - what a fabulous experience.

To us San Gimi is just 'too loved' to the point of being overrun!

Well I'm hoping to take the train from Florence to Lucca this Sunday afternoon after I arrive.

But the forecast is calling for thunder showers or rain ...

not sure this is the restaurant you're talkin g about but last time we were in san gimignano we ate at le vecchie mura. If it's good weather the views (of the rolling hills) from the terrace are almost as good as the food. However my vote goes with Lucca. I found San gimignano too small and way too touristy.

If you have so little time, I think Lucca makes for a better choice because it is closer and more easy to reach from Livorno.
ANd there is more to do (I think it is a very very beautiful city). I was there yesterday and I can never help thinking that it is great.

Just came back a couple of weeks ago from a cruise myself. In Livorno we took a private tour to Siena and San Gimignano. It made for a very long day and, of course, we didn't get to spend nearly enough time in eithere.

I now regret not going back to Lucca instead, where I spent 2 weeks a couple of years ago. As it has been mentioned here, it's much closer to Livorno and you can do it on your own via train. San Gimignano is "cute" and you see gorgeous views of the Tuscan countryside from there, but Lucca is IMO a more complete city

Went to SG again today on the way to Volterra because someone said the road between is beautiful.

It is but you have to concentrate on the road.

Climbed the tower at SG, just to get it out of the way.

Went to Lucca on the train from Florence the day before.

They're both nice. If you have to choose one on a trip, choose the one that is most convenient. Like if you're going to Pisa, maybe fitting in Lucca makes sense. Likewise, going to Siena, stop by SG.

May not be doing either justice but you can cover a lot of the highlights of each in a couple of hours.

Then you can decide which one you want to return to.

We liked Lucca much better. It seemed and felt more local. There are lots of young students there and everyone seems to ride bicycles. There is a festive air about Lucca and even some nice shopping which isn't all about souvenirs.