Lucca is the most perfectcompletely walled city and birthplace of the composer, Puccini. It is known asthe town of 99 churches and you will visit the S.Martino Cathedral and thebeautiful San Michele. The Piazza Anfiteatro follows the exact lines of theRoman amphitheatre, indeed, you can still see some of the arches and columns.After lunch in a local restaurant, (not included) drive through the countrysideto the hills where wealthy, noble families had their summer residences,foremost of which is the Villa Reale, dating from the 17th century.Originally owned by the Dukes of Tuscia, the villa passed through severalfamilies until the Orsetti family was ‘persuaded’ to sell it to Napoleon’ssister, Elisa Baciocchi. She had it extensively remodelled in 1806, in theneo-classical style and planted the park in the English style, with anornamental lake. The villa is now owned by a Roman family who use it during thesummer months, but the gardens are open to the public and in addition to thelake, boast a beautiful citrus garden and camellia path.
