Hiking Near Lucca: Two Mountain Worlds

Lucca sits at the edge of two completely different mountain landscapes. To the north and west, the Alpi Apuane — sharp, pale, and dramatic, carved for centuries by marble quarrying. To the east, the Apennines — forested, rounded, and quiet. Both are within 45 minutes of the city by car. One of the main Lucca routes doesn’t even require a car.

This variety makes Lucca one of the best bases for hiking in Tuscany, and one of the least obvious ones.

The Alpi Apuane

The Apuan Alps are the most visually distinctive mountains in Tuscany. Their white flanks are not snow — they are marble. The quarrying that has shaped these mountains for millennia has also left behind a network of vie marmifera: the old marble quarry roads, wide and solid, that open up terrain which would otherwise require serious alpine equipment.

The Marmifera del Corchia is one of the most striking examples. The road climbs into a landscape of bare rock and long views, passing the entrances to the Antro del Corchia cave system — one of the deepest cave networks in Europe. The elevation, the silence, and the scale of the marble working make it unlike anything else in the region.

The Apennine Side

The Apennine hills east of Lucca offer a different kind of walking: older, quieter, more intimate. Dense chestnut and oak woodland, water sources throughout, and paths that have been in use for centuries.

The Nottolini Aqueduct is the most accessible route in the entire Lucca area — reachable by regional train from Lucca, Pisa, and Florence without a car. The aqueduct itself is a neoclassical structure of 400 arches built in the 1820s to bring water from the Pizzorne hills into the city. Walking alongside it, you pass water mills, stone bridges, and a spring known locally as Parole d’Oro — Golden Words — for the mineral-rich water that bubbles out of the hillside.

Who These Hikes Are For

The routes near Lucca cover a wide range of difficulty. The Nottolini walk is accessible to anyone who can manage three hours on a level path. The Corchia road involves sustained climbing and some exposure. Most fall somewhere between.

None require technical climbing. The terrain is suited to people who want genuine mountain scenery without the need for specialist equipment or alpine experience. If you want to know what a private guided hike in Tuscany actually involves — how booking works, what to bring, what happens on the day — that post covers it in full.

When to Go

Spring and autumn are the most comfortable seasons for both mountain ranges. April and May bring wildflowers in the Apuane and the chestnuts leafing out along the Apennine paths. September and October are ideal for the lower-elevation forest routes. Summer works well in the Apuane, where the altitude and exposure keep temperatures manageable. The Nottolini walk is pleasant year-round — it sits low enough to be hikeable even in winter.

If you are planning a full day out from Lucca and want to combine hiking with other stops, the guide to the best day trips from Lucca covers the wider range of options — including nature reserves, coastal trails, and Apuane viewpoints.

Other Languages

• 🇩🇪 Wandern in Lucca
• 🇳🇱 Wandelen Lucca
• 🇧🇷 Trilha Lucca