Lucca stands out in Tuscany. It’s old, pretty, wrapped in Renaissance walls. It’s kept its old town center. Etruscans, Ligurians, and then Romans from 180 BCE laid its roots. Roman layouts and ruins pepper the place. Ancient roads boosted Lucca's spot, making it a Lombard duchy powerhouse.

Goths, Byzantines, Lombards all had their time ruling. In the 6th century, Lucca led the Lombard Duchy of Tuscia. It mattered, economically and politically. Through the 9th and 10th centuries, it ruled Tuscany. But by the 10th century, Florence started overshadowing it.