Passegiata in Lucca - One of the nicest things about Lucca is that although there are a fair number of tourists, the historic center is still the area where most of the townspeople live, work, and shop. Hence, a very active passagiata takes place just about every night of the week. "Passegiata" comes from the Italian verb "passegiare" meaning "to stroll" and that's exactly what just about everyone is town does starting at about 5:30 in the evening and going on until about 8-9PM when they all eat dinner. This is one of the most charming customs in Italy and you'll see it to various degrees in just about every town in the country.