Monte San Quirico – Churches, Serchio River Park and Views of Lucca

Monte San Quirico combines a rich cultural history with the varied landscape of the Serchio. Among churches, villas, chapels and the river park, you will find a range of reasons to stay: historical art, traditional festivals, peaceful paths, nature watching and activities on the water. What makes the area particularly appealing is the combination of tangible cultural heritage and a river landscape that can be experienced on foot, by bicycle or on the water.

Churches, Chapels and Historical Traces

The parish church of San Quirico in Monte San Quirico is already mentioned in a document from 788. Its medieval appearance was lost through renovations in the 19th century; inside, however, there is still a large painted cross attributed to Taddeo Gaddi. The town’s living heritage also includes a traditional festival that has been celebrated for centuries on the first Sunday of Lent.

Another historical layer is represented by the Capuchin monastery that stands today. It is the most recent home in a long succession of monasteries where the Brotherhood of Lucca was based. The complex was created by converting Villa Cotenna, acquired in 1885, and includes a church dedicated to Saint Mary of the Assumption. In the Cappella della Villa Buonvisi-Spada, you can view a fresco cycle dated to around 1580 and tentatively attributed to the painter Agostino Ghirlanda. The chapel also houses the only complete fresco cycle dedicated to the legend of Lucca’s Volto Santo that has survived to the present day.

Villa Paolina Bonaparte is also part of the area’s history: Paolina Bonaparte lived there from 1822 to 1825. The villa’s park offers views of the Apuan Alps and the walled city of Lucca. In Monte San Quirico, sacred art, aristocratic history and landscape views thus come together, without restricting you to just one historical era.

The Serchio River Park: Trails, Nature and Activities

The Serchio River Park can be accessed via the Petroni Terrace near the San Quirico Bridge. From the entrance, an 11-kilometre circular trail leads to the San Pietro Bridge and returns to the starting point along the right bank of the river. You can use it on foot or by bicycle. In some sections, the trail overlaps with the Puccini cycling and walking route, dedicated to the composer from Lucca and running from Celle di Pescaglia to Torre del Lago on Lake Massaciuccoli.

The river park passes through an agricultural area characterised by cereal cultivation and poplar trees. Along the Serchio, rare plant species can be found that have disappeared elsewhere. Here, the river also forms an ecological corridor between the mountain areas and the coast, designated as a protected zone. It provides wildlife with places for shelter, feeding and reproduction. For walks and bike rides, this means a landscape where farmland, riverbanks and protected natural areas lie close together.

The section close to the city includes a skate area. The park also contains an equestrian centre and the old skill game “tiro della forma”, in which rounds of cheese are thrown. In the community gardens of the Fattoria degli Albogatti, you can learn about the agricultural foundations of Lucca’s silk production among mulberry trees and cocoons. Every September, the Serchio River Park hosts a river festival with games, food and concerts.

The park also offers several clearly distinct experiences for spending time by the water. On the right-hand side, there is access to a stretch of riverbank known as a “beach”, where you can cool off in the refreshing river water during summer. On long, calm stretches of the river, kayaking downstream towards the sea is possible at any time of year. The range of options therefore extends from a short stay by the riverbank to a more active experience on the water.

For further orientation, you can also visit Nozzano Castello, San Pietro A Vico, Piazzano, San Macario In Monte, Pieve Di Brancoli, Farneta, Arsina and Chiatri.

For the broader travel overview: Lucca.