Bagni di Lucca

Bagni di Lucca is a small spa town in the Lima and Serchio valleys of Tuscany, in the province of Lucca. It is the largest comune by area in Italy, made up of villages scattered through the wooded hills, and is known for its thermal springs, its 19th-century foreign community and the river gorges around it.

The town grew around natural hot springs that were already in use in the Middle Ages. In the 19th century it became a fashionable resort for English, Russian and other European visitors, and Byron, Shelley and Elizabeth Barrett Browning all spent time here. Traces of that period remain in the English cemetery and the Anglican church, and in the building of the casino, which was one of the earliest in Europe and is no longer in operation.

Today Bagni di Lucca is quiet and much less visited than the coast or the main Tuscan art cities. The comune covers a very large and mostly mountainous territory, so villages are spread far apart and the surroundings are more forest and river valley than town.

From Lucca take the SS12 north along the Serchio valley, about 27 km and 40 minutes. From Florence the drive is about 1 hour 30 minutes via the A11 to Lucca and then the SS12.

The Lucca to Aulla regional line stops at Bagni di Lucca. Trains run several times a day and the trip from Lucca takes around 30 minutes. The station is in Fornoli, a short distance from the main thermal area.

Regional buses connect Lucca with Bagni di Lucca and continue up the Serchio valley.

The comune is spread over many separate villages, including Ponte a Serraglio, La Villa, Fornoli and Bagni Caldi, and a car is useful for moving between them. Within each village distances are short and walkable.

• English Cemetery. A 19th-century burial ground for the Protestant foreign residents who once wintered here, with headstones in English, German and Russian. 
• Ponte della Maddalena (Ponte del Diavolo). A medieval humpbacked bridge over the Serchio at nearby Borgo a Mozzano. Its steep asymmetric arch is one of the most photographed sights in the valley. 

Thermal bathing is the traditional activity, with natural hot springs and steam grottoes carved into the rock. The Lima river running through the town is used for rafting and packrafting between spring and autumn, and several narrow canyons in the surrounding hills are used for canyoning, which combines walking, swimming and short descents on rope. Marked walking trails lead from the villages up towards the Apuan Alps.

Local cooking follows the Garfagnana tradition, with chestnut flour, farro, wild mushrooms and game appearing on most menus. Much of the eating out happens at agriturismi scattered through the hills rather than in the villages themselves, and many of them serve set menus using their own produce. Booking ahead is usually necessary.

Accommodation is mostly small hotels, agriturismi and restored houses in the surrounding hamlets.

• Lucca - walled city, 30 minutes away
• Montecatini Terme - larger spa town to the east
• Barga - hill town further up the Serchio valley
• Garfagnana - forested valleys and mountain villages to the north