Porcari
Porcari is a town in the province of Lucca, Tuscany, set in the flat Lucca plain between the city of Lucca and the hills of Montec...
Updated 21 July 2026
This season · July · Summer
What to do in Porcari now
The story
The story of Porcari
Introduction and location
Porcari lies in the province of Lucca, Tuscany, within the wide flatland known as the Piana di Lucca, stretching between the city of Lucca and the first low hills of the Valdinievole. The municipality borders Capannori, Altopascio and Montecarlo, and is built around a central settlement surrounded by farmland and small industrial areas. With no major river running through it and no coastline nearby, Porcari owes its character to the alluvial plain it stands on, historically reclaimed and cultivated over the centuries.
History and origins
Porcari's origins date back to the medieval period, when the village grew as a small rural settlement tied to farming and to control of the Lucca plain, an area long disputed between Lucca and its neighbouring towns. For centuries the community remained essentially agricultural, until, between the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the paper industry took hold and reshaped the local economy. Porcari thus became part of the wider Lucca paper-making district, alongside neighbouring municipalities, a sector that has deeply marked the town's recent history and its productive identity.
Nature and landscape
The landscape around Porcari is typical of the Lucca plain: cultivated fields, tree-lined lanes and drainage canals that recall the old land-reclamation works carried out on what was once marshier ground. To the south the area draws close to the wetlands linked to the Padule di Bientina basin, a site of considerable naturalistic interest for migratory birds. Small green spaces and country lanes invite walking and cycling between the towns of the plain, in a rural setting that remains clearly recognisable despite the presence of industry.
What to do and see
Visitors to Porcari can spend time in the town centre, with its parish church and main streets lined with shops and residential buildings, before heading out into the surrounding countryside at a relaxed pace. Its location, close to Lucca and to the hills of Montecarlo, makes the municipality a convenient base for those wishing to visit the walls and monuments of the provincial capital or climb into the nearby hillside vineyards. Walks and bike rides along the plain's secondary roads reveal a more authentic, less touristy side of the area.
Flavours and traditions
Porcari's cuisine follows the Lucca countryside tradition, built on simple dishes based on vegetables, pulses, bread and locally produced extra-virgin olive oil. Not far away, the hills of Montecarlo hold a well-established winemaking tradition, a popular destination for pairing a good local wine with a stop in the plain below. Alongside farming, the industrial history tied to paper-making has left its mark on the town's identity, remembered in the community's collective memory as a key stage in its modern economic development.
Not to be missed
- The historic centre and main square of Porcari
- The town's parish church
- The countryside and canals of the Piana di Lucca
- The wine-growing hills of Montecarlo, just minutes away
- The walls and historic centre of Lucca, easily reached
To see
What to see in Porcari
Routes · Trovido Route
