Top 5 Museums
in Lucca for visitors to
Livorno cruise port in 2023

1. Cathedral's Museum
(Museo della Cattedrale)

Set up in 1992 the 'Museo della Cattedrale' is located in a building complex next to the Duomo where the pieces deemed too valuable to remain in the church are safely displayed for visitors. Collections include 15th and 16th-century paintings, stone heads, jewelry, vestments and a uniquely rare sixth-century ivory diptych. An interesting part of the collection is dedicated to adornments that the 'Volto Santo' wears during celebrations.

Lucca's Cathedral

Photo © IQCruising.com

2. Puccini's House Museum
(Museo Casa Natale di Giacomo Puccini)

Closed for a number of years, the house where Giacomo Puccini was born has been reopened since 2012. Occupying the second floor of an old building in the corner of a small square (Piazza Cittadella) off the Via San Paolino, the Museum is very much worth a visit - or a detour if on a cruise tour and your guide doesn't point it out. The house where the composer was born, in 1858, lived his childhood and teen years, is an invitation for the visitor to travel in time and discover intimate aspects of the life of one the most famous opera composers of all times.

Puccini Statue

Photo © IQCruising.com

The Piazza Cittadella is very close to the Piazza San Michele a major stop on all excursions of Lucca and impossible to miss with it magnificent bronze sculpture of Puccini. Visitors with disabilities can use an elevator and a specially sized wheelchair

3. National Museum Guinigi
(Museo Nazionale Villa Guinigi)

One of the two 'national' museums in Lucca ( The Palazzo Mansi National Museum is the other and one of the highlights selected by IQCruising), it is located close to the east side of medieval walls and, therefore, a bit off the beaten track for the cruise traveler. The building itself (dating back to 1413), a fine example of Gothic style, is worth a visit but it is the exhibited collection that is the main attraction. At its core, the visitor will find paintings divided into 4 distinct periods: Early Middle Ages to the Romanesque period; Gothic period to the Renaissance; Renaissance to the Counter-Reformation; Counter-Reformation to the Neoclassicism. The visitor will also find on display a section with exhibits from Ancient Civilizations (Etruscan, Ligurian, and Roman).

National Museum Guinigi

Photo by Sailko CC-by-SA

Amongst the highlights, the following paintings are must see works of art: Pietà by Matthew Civitali; St. Mary Magdalene and St. Catherine of Siena by Fra Bartolomeo; Madonna Child and Saints by Aspertini; wooden statue by Jacopo della Quercia; the Ecstasy of St. Catherine of Siena by Pompeo Batoni

4. Lu.CCA: Lucca Center of Contemporary Art

The major and only museum in Lucca exclusively dedicated to Contemporary Art. The visitor will discover temporary exhibitions that have been displaying works by major Italian artists such as Lucio Fontana, Alberto Burri, Piero Manzoni and De Chirico but also non-Italians likes the photographers Robert Capa, Cartier-Bresson or Elliott Erwitt. It is advisable to visit the official website (below) to check the exhibition schedule.

Lu.CCA

Photo by Labarbaraz CC-by-SA

5. Museum of Comics and Image
(Museo Italiano del Fumetto e dell'Immagine)

Although the cruise traveler may find this museum listed on many a guide of Lucca, it should be noted that the Museum is CURRENTLY Closed and almost abandoned. However, the Editor advises the visitor to check the official website for updates as there is hope that it may re-open soon.

Comics Museum

Photo by Geobia CC-by-SA