Villa La Nievolina: Tuscany vacation rentals and Tuscany villa rental near Lucca and Florence

Lucca
Lucca's origins can be traced back to the Etruscan age; however, no traces remain from those times. It is known for certain that the plain of Lucca was in a position where the Etruscan and the Ligurian civilisations met. The word Luk in the ancient celtic-ligurian language signified "place surrounded by waters". The first inhabitants of Luk were the Celts who on the banks of the river Serchio founded a village which continued to grow until captured by the Etruscans who in turn inhabited the city for the next 200 years. In 180 BC Luk became a Roman Dominion named Luca. The Romans transformed the settlement into a fortified city closed in by a surrounding wall of almost two kilometres long. This wall was built using blocks of stone that still exist in the interior of the Della Rosa Church.

The territory of the plain of Lucca consists of a wide flat area bounded on three sides by ranges of hills, and on the fourth by the bed of what , before the land was reclaimed, used to be the Lake of Bientina. Lucca is a logisitical hub where great roads meet. The Strade Statali of the Abetone, the 433 Sarzanese, the 435 Pesciatina, the Firenze-Sea autostrada and the Viareggio link joining up with the Genoa-Pisa-Livorno autostrada. It is thus relatively easy to travel swiftly around the main localities of the province, which include the municipalities of Capannori, Altopascio, Porcari, Montecarlo and Villa Basilica. Most of the towns and villages in the region are of mediaeval origins, with numerous archaeological sites of the Roman era. The main economic activities of the area are the production of wine and olive oil , paper making, and textile and shoe manufacture. Floriculture (dried flowers), quarrying, and dairy products are also important.