| A trip through hills bordered by 100-year-old olives and vines |
The rural territory of the Wine and Oil Trail of Lucca, Montecarlo and Versilia, in the province of Lucca, is unique in Tuscany for the enveloping, penetrating splendour of its natural landscapes, rich in light and colours. From the white marble peaks of the Apuane Alps, which frame the blue sea from Forte dei Marmi to Viareggio, the eye wanders upward through the historical old towns of Seravezza, Pietrasanta, Camaiore and Massarosa to arrive over gentle, luminous hills in Lucca, the provincial capital, a city rich in history and art, continuing up the sunny slopes to discover the historical mansions in the town of Capannori, and Montecarlo with its fortress, ending at Altopascio, the city of bread and of the Knights of the Tau. This land, known in its entirety as Lucchesia, encloses the most spectacular variety of natural environments – coastal plain, mountains, valleys, hills – and proud, ancient cities, living custodians of an age-old culture, also has an extraordinary rural civilization. Agriculture is an ancient tradition in this place where, for millennia, men have cultivated the soil and the olive, and men have fished its sea, developing skills and flavours that are closely linked to our dearest memories. Today the visitor, following the Wine and Oil Trail, can experience and enjoy a wide range of typical products of Lucca that go from the fine DOC wines of Montecarlo and the Colline Lucchesi (Lucca Hills) to the delicate lightness of the PDO extra virgin olive oil of Lucca, the fragrant breads of the master bakers of Altopascio and the extraordinary pork and dairy products of Gombitelli and the mountain dairies, not to mention the refined seafood of Versilia, with the hundred colours of the local fruit, vegetables and flowers. This is an invitation to travel the roads of the Wine and Oil Trail of Lucca, Montecarlo and Versilia at all times of the year, through a rich calendar of events, to discover its high-quality products, enjoy the hospitality of its comfortable hotels, guest farms, restaurants and villas, visit art cities and historical villages and thrill, in the evening, to the golden light of a magic sunset on the Versilia Riviera, to a background of passionate arias by Giacomo Puccini. Lucca, land of Tuscany, where time still moves slowly. A living present… rooted in a solid past. Associazione Strada del Vino e dell’Olio Lucca, Montecarlo e Versilia Via di Celli, 52 – 55010 S. Gennaro Capannori (Lu) Tel. +39 0583 909034 +39 348 0368293 Fax +39 0583 978742 |
