About Lucca - Events and What's On

There's always plenty going on in Lucca - here's a round up of some of the best...

Lucca excels as an all-year round destination and has much to offer with concerts and festivals, as befits the birthplace of Puccini and Boccherini. There is a year-round festival of opera recitals in Lucca, in addition to the Puccini Festival in Torre Del Lago, which takes place during July and August. This summer for example, in this the 150th anniversary of the birth of Puccini, there are performances in the new open-air lakeside theatre of Turandot, Tosca, Madam Butterfly and Edgar.

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In addition there is a series of open-air pop concerts in the main square each summer which attracts global artists. For example, 2007 saw concerts by Elton John, George Michael, Joss Stone and Nora Jones, amongst others, and 2008 saw the likes of Leonard Cohen, Mick Hucknell and Sheryl Crow. This summer, artists include Anastacia, Burt Bacharach, Lenny Kravitz, Moby, John Fogarty, James Taylor and others.

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There are many other interesting events, including one of the largest monthly antiques fairs in Tuscany. Also crafts and Christmas markets, which all take place in the city squares and streets. The surrounding hills and mountains provide fantastic opportunities for outdoor pursuits, ranging from mountain biking to skiing and the Mediterranean is less than thirty minutes away, for enjoying the beautiful sandy beaches and water sports of the Italian Riviera.

Events to look out for...

Puccini Opera Festival - Torre del Lago near Lucca
Lucca Summer festival, throughout July - featuring top names in music
Palio de San Paolino, July - a medieval celebration of Lucca's patron saint Paolino. Costume parades, flag throwing, and crossbow shooting
Lucca International Comics & Games, 4 day festival - early November

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