good playgrounds in Lucca or Florence???

[stump]

Hi everyone,
We're off to Tuscany soon with our 4 year old and 20 months old. We're taking the night train and arrive in Florence very early (7am) but can't get into our villa near Lucca until 3pm. Can anyone recommend a nice playground/park in Florence or Lucca where the kids can let off some steam??
Thanks

In my limited experience, the Italians aren't great with playgrounds.

However, Lucca is wonderful and has this great wall around it which you can cycle on. There are lots of bike hire places, I wonder if you could keep your luggage somewhere whilst you go off for a bike ride? (I'm sure they'd also do suitable stuff for the DCs). IIRC there is a small playground within the walls.

Florence has the Boboli Gardens, which is gorgeous, and fine for just running around fueled by icecream. But then you'd have to drag your luggage across town. Hmmm....... :ponders:

Or are you getting a car which you can put the luggage in?

I loved Florence train station

And don't bother going to Pinocchio Land, which is between Florence and Lucca. It's crap and slightly disturbing. Tbh! But the villa in the same village has great gardens - at Castagneto Carducci I think.

MMOC has given you some suggestions but you could also try asking on the TA Florence and Lucca forums.

www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowForum-g187898-i832-Lucca_Province_of_Lucca_Tuscany.html

www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowForum-g187895-i68-Florence_Tuscany.html

Thanks so much. I think we will head to Lucca then. Maybe after a bit of breakfast in Florence train station ;-) We won't have a car we're taking the train to Lucca but as I understand it we can leave our luggage at the tourist information in Lucca so we'll start there and see what we find!!
Thanks for the tip about Pinocchio land - I'd had that on my possible list of things to do!!

Lucca has at least one pretty good playground just inside the walls. If I remember, it's the other side of the town to the station, or at least a fair way round. I had a look on Google Maps but can't identify where it is but it is right below the walls and if you're walking or cycling round you would be able to see it.

The bike hire people will have seats for both dcs. The one at the station isn't brilliant, there are better ones just inside the walls.

I reckon by the time you've has breakfast, got the train and hired bikes for a potter around, you'll all be ready for lunch and an ice
cream then you can go to your villa. I love Lucca, I am very envious!