Reviewed by Michael Cullen
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PALAZZO ALEXANDER - REVIEW
I’ve not met anyone who’s been to Lucca and been unimpressed. Come to think of it, I’ve not met many people who have been to Lucca at all – and that’s part of its appeal. Perfectly enclosed within massive medieval walls, this delightful north Tuscan town has bags of charm and culture – cobbled lanes, Renaissance churches, manageable museums, stylish shops – and relatively few tourists, especially considering how accessible it is via nearby Pisa airport.
The Palazzo Alexander is one of a handful of guesthouses within the city walls. Dating from the 12th century this four-storey ex-boarding-school has been converted into a nine-bedroom hotel, ornately (some might say over-ornately) decorated with embossed gold fabrics, polished wooden floors and Regency-type armchairs. If you’re lucky you might have an angel smiling down at you from the newly frescoed ceiling, or a balcony overlooking the Lucchese roofscape. It's clean, cared-for and efficiently run by English-speaking owner-manager Mario Maraviglia.
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