Essential guide to the best museums in Lucca for cruise visitors to the port of Livorno including reviews, photos and basic info: prices, opening hours, address, and location.
Although the cruise traveler will have the opportunity to enjoy wonderful works of art displayed in most of the highlights of Lucca, there are also a number of good museums that are worth a visit when exploring this historical city.
On the top of the list, the Cathedral's Museum and the Puccini's House Museum are complementary highlights that should be included in your day tour of Lucca. And for those that have visited most of Lucca's attractions, both the National Museum Guinigi and the Center of Contemporary Art may be unexpected surprises.
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
WHERE | City Centre |
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Address: | Piazza Antelminelli |
Open: | March 8 to 2 November 2 - 10:00 am to 6:00 pm November 3 to March 7 - Monday to Friday 10:00 am to 2:00 pm | Saturday and Sunday - 10:00 am to 5:00 pm |
Closed: | Christmas, New Year (morning), Easter (morning) |
Entrance: | € 4.00 - Combined ticket with Church of St. John and the sacristy of the Cathedral: € 2.50 |
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
WHERE | Historical Center - small street off Piazza Cittadella |
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Address: | Corte San Lorenzo 9 |
Open: | April to October: 10.00 am to 6.00 pm | November to March: 11.00 am to 5.00 pm - Closed on Tuesday. |
Closed: | Tuesdays and December 25 |
Entrance: | € 7.00 | Reduced fare € 5.00 |
Website: | Visit OFFICIAL Site |
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
WHERE: | On the East Side, close to the Medieval Walls |
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Address: | Via della Quarquonia |
Open: | From Tuesday to Saturday 8:30 am to 7:30 pm last admission 7:00 pm |
Closed: | Mondays, Sundays and January 1st, May 1st, December 25th. |
Admission: | € 4.00 - Cumulative ticket for the two National Museums: € 6.50 |
Website: | Visit OFFICIAL Site |
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
WHERE | Near Piazza Anfiteatro |
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Address: | Via della Fratta, 36 |
Phone: | +39 0583 492180 |
Open: | April 18 to August 30 - Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 am to 7:00 pm | Check Official Website for Winter Schedule |
Closed: | Mondays |
Website: | Visit OFFICIAL Site |
Entrance: | € 9.00 |
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
WHERE | Behind the Piazza Napoleone, next to the Chiesa di San Romano |
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Address: | Piazza San Romano 1-4 |
Open: | Tuesday to Sunday from 10.00 to 18.00 |
Closed: | Mondays |
Admission: | € 4.00 |
Website: | Visit OFFICIAL Site |