Lucca
If you have young children, Lucca is a great kid-friendly place. You can stroll the ancient wall and let your kids run off some steam, or rent bikes (for reasonable cost) and cruise around together. There are lots of big shade trees so it is quite pleasant even in the heat of summer. Climbing Guinigi Tower is a great way to get some exercise and there is no minimum age requirement (as compared to the Leaning Tower of Pisa, where kids have to be at least 8 to climb).

If you think the top of the wall is cool, wait til you see underneath it! The cavernous, brick-vaulted interior of the wall (yes, the wall is so massive that there are warehouse-sized spaces inside it) is not only a beautiful and peaceful space but also home to crazy works of art in paper. Every two years Lucca is home to the world's biggest festival of paper art, the Lucca Biennale.

Lucca also features beautiful shops (major fashion brands as well as boutiques brimming with artisan creations), really good gelato and excellent cuisine.

Our agenda in Lucca includes:

• a panoramic drive around the ancient walls
• the Romanesque church of San Frediano (monumental golden mosaic on the facade)
• Piazza dell’Anfiteatro, site of the former Roman amphitheater
• church of San Michele in Foro (intricately carved facade dating back to the 13th Century)
• Piazza Napoleone
• the cathedral of San Martino, featuring Jacopo della Quercia's sculpture of Ilaria del Carretto, deemed the most beautiful funerary monument in Italy and a work of art to compare with Michelangelo’s David, and the Volto Santo, a wooden crucifix dating back to the 8th century, the subject of much lore.

• Piazzale Michelangelo (photo stop for panoramic shots of the city)
• Santa Croce (when possible)
• Piazza del Duomo (cathedral, baptistery, bell tower)
• Piazza della Signoria, Palazzo Vecchio
• Porcellino Market, Ponte Vecchio

FLORENCE OTHER COSTS

Local Guides

• Classic highlights of Florence, 3 hours, 210 Euro
• Florence for Kids walking tour, 3 hours, 210 Euro
• Florence for Kids walking tour, 4 hours (required if you want to go into the Accademia gallery with the guide), 280 Euro
• Florence of the Medici, 4 hours, 280 Euro

* Headsets are required at the Accademia and Uffizi Galleries when you have a guide and five or more participans, 5 Euro per person. Headsets are recommended in high season with three or more persons and a guide in order to hear the guide decently.

Pre-booked Tickets

• Accademia Gallery (closed MONDAYS) 30 Euro per adult, 4 Euro for youths age 6-17, no charge for children under 6
• Uffizi Gallery (closed MONDAYS) 40 Euro per adult, 8 Euro for youths age 6-17, no charge for children under 6

The price of pre-booked tickets is subject to change (due to increases implemented by the issuing organization and not having to do with us).

CHURCH DRESS CODE
Proper attire is required to enter churches (bare shoulders must be covered and shorts/skirts must come down to your knees).