Four years after accepting the title of mayor of Lucca, Mario Pardini held a press conference on June 27th in the Sala Rossa of Palazzo Orsetti to answer journalists’ questions.
Here are his responses to LuccaLife’s questions. He comments on the goals that he and his team have met, “overtourism” and the mayor’s hopes for a potential second term. Some comments have been edited for brevity.
Mayor Pardini comments on his first term:
“These four years have been characterized by concrete actions.
“We’ve reached 80 percent of our mandate. I would like to personally thank all the councilors, the municipal staff, the assessors, everyone who’s helped us give a significant boost to change. Change is tangible in many sectors. Written words aren’t enough. … I’m confident we’ve done our best. I’m happy to celebrate, but I don’t want to start 10 months of election campaigning, we’ve been campaigning for change from day one.
“We’ve completed 100 public works. The PNRR contract expires on June 30th, and the PNRR must be paid. [PNRR stands for the Piano Nazionale di Ripresa e Resilienza or the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, which is Italy’s localized economic recovery and modernization program, funded by the European Union’s Next Generation EU package to help the country rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic.] But we’ll meet the deadline with a solid and healthy budget, always higher than the one we found, this without, in our opinion, leaving anyone behind. We’ve acted with a forward-looking mindset…
“We have tried to improve Lucca. We got our hands on [the dangerous traffic gridlock at] Salicchi and we successfully alleviated it. The sports facilities [we rehabilitated], the new roundabouts, all will improve life. Others didn’t want to risk [doing these projects].
“We had a multi-year vision of making choices and investments. We believe engagement is important; we need to explain what’s being done. If we do it well, it shows [the public] that politics is useful; otherwise, people won’t vote.
“We’ve tried to make Lucca increasingly international, managing quantity while focusing on quality. It’s working. …We’ve tried to be present in all regions, spreading events throughout the months, in all regions, even virtually with Caffè con Mario, and posts on social media.
“The goal is not consensus, but listening and involvement, while making investments that positively affect all social classes…
“I don’t take administrative action so people will vote for me, I do it if it’s the right thing to do.
LuccaLife asks: Mayor, you assemble a team of assessors who helped your administration set many records and accomplish much change. Do you believe they will stay with you into a second term?
Mayor Pardini responds:
“I’m grateful to my team. From 2027 onwards, I’d like to see our initiatives completed. I wanted to be concrete, and we were effective on concrete issues. It was not a group put together to then disband, but with the intention of moving forward with unity
“I didn’t do this just to win in politics—after all, it takes a lot of time away from family life—you only do it if you can improve [the city].
“I’m Mario Pardini, mayor, I support inclusion, I listen to everyone, but then my job is to choose. Politics is increasingly divided. A civic mayor within a party is stronger, even if this isn’t mandatory. How many and which parties will be present (in the elections) remains to be seen. Will there be national alliances? We never know.
“[Whether the assessors will stay] cannot be known, I cannot say whether even I will be here for the next term. [Their participation] will then depend on the wishes of each of the assessors, it’s not a given that everyone will want to continue. It will depend on the wishes of the individual members they represent, it will depend on the election campaign… let’s say we’re starting from scratch, right?
“When you go into an electoral campaign, the mayor is the first to get involved, and then everyone follows suit. So we take it for granted that there’s a group that’s winning, that has won, and that, in my opinion, has governed well…
“It’s very premature to talk about this. Absolutely nothing should be taken for granted, but I think what’s important is that the parties and civic groups have the willpower to present themselves together as a coalition. Individuals are part of a mechanism that can also be modified, but that depends not on me, but on their will, that of their parties, their movements, etc., etc…. It also depends obviously on the voters, this, after all, is a meritocracy, being voted for by the people.
LuccaLife asks: Together with your team, Mayor, you have broken many records for tourist visits and stays in Lucca, as well as the number of people drawn to the Lucca Summer Music Festival and Lucca Comics & Games (LCG). These are praiseworthy achievements. Still many living and working in the city center live with a lot of disruptions to make these events happen.
At the introduction of LCG 2026 in Florence on June 27, 2026, Emanuele Vietina, director of Lucca Crea, pointed out that LCG made a profit of 1 million euros last year. Could those 1 million euros translate into improvements that might lighten the load and be welcomed by the citizens and businesses of the city center?
Mayor Pardini responds:
“What I was saying was not that I want events every day, but (actually) the deseasonalization of Lucca Comics, for example. That will happen through having a museum, something permanent 365 days a year which won’t bring the flow of Lucca Comics & Games in one day, but will spread out the flow of LCG throughout the year it wouldn’t be an intense flow but a flow that serves the city, because let’s remember that when the city is alive in a healthy way, it is safer and also richer….”
LuccaLife asks: Mayor, how is artificial intelligence impacting Lucca, if at all?
Mayor Pardini responds:
“I have an idea about management through the use of artificial intelligence…
“When I was president of LCG, we began conducting preventive management analyses, especially regarding safety. The Summer Festival does the same. Preventive models now exist based on past data, data that can be perceived almost in real time, and everything is systematized.
“It’s a bit complex, but it’s something we’re finally talking about because what I see as a problem—having so many people in one place—can become a solution, for example, to help villages affected by depopulation. You can divert part of this flow to the mid-valley, in Garfagnana. I’m talking about our province, but it’s a valid (concept) everywhere.
“Yesterday there was a conference where they were talking about tourism infrastructure, and they were also talking about Como. In that area, out of 300 municipalities, 10 have problems with tourist flows. But the other 290 would like some of that tourism. So if we can get this flow to move, obviously if they come to Lucca they’ll go for the Comics, but where they sleep is up to them – the use of such an algorithm can indicate and suggest lodgings. And so on, [it could be useful] whether they come to see the Uffizi, for Comics, for everywhere. There’s the point of attraction, but that’s not what dictates the lodging space. The more resources we have, the more we can dedicate ourselves to better management systems.
LuccaLife asks: How is work on the restoration of the Manifattura dei Tabacchi coming along?
Mayor Pardini responds:
“The museum (planned for part of this space) has timeframes that are going longer than we would have liked for various and long reasons. But the work is ongoing.
“The museum project in the northern part of the Manifattura remains on track… and it’s something that’s also shared and supported at the political level, precisely because that part of the city, knowing that work is now starting on the new Arts Center (formerly the National Cinema) image left, with financing by the Ragghianti Foundation and the Cassa di Risparmio Foundation, will ensure that it truly becomes a cultural area.
“Along with the Comics Museum in the former Cavallerizza, this area will be fundamental for the city.
“So things are moving forward, they are moving forward slowly, but they are moving forward.
“This year, it was announced at the Uffizi the other day that a floor of the Guinigi Palace will be dedicated to the exhibition celebrating the 60th anniversary of Lucca Comics – and it will not only be on display during the five days of Lucca Comics, it will remain there throughout the year.
LuccaLife asks: What about the apparently abandoned former military barracks in Corso Garibaldi. Will the project to make this into more housing be reactivated?
Mayor Pardini responds:
“This is a private matter because it belongs to a private individual. We know that other private individuals are interested in it, but they will have to come to an agreement among themselves. The good thing, though, is that not only that empty shell [known as a “container,” in Italian] but all the other containers in the area are all privately held. These are of interest because Lucca is attractive for investing.
“We’re only interested in investments in Lucca related to tourism and hospitality because it would eliminate the negative impact between supply and demand, which, when demand is very high and supply is low, creates these problems of large costs for a [stay of a] single day.
“The only way to intervene is by increasing the supply, because you can’t stop the market, this couldn’t even happen in South America during the dictatorships.
LuccaLife asks: To enter Lucca’s city walls during the late 19th, early 20th century, people from outside would need to pay customs fees. Should we bring this back? Might a strong entry fee help Lucca control the hoards of visitors from cruise ships and tour buses that besiege the city? These people have no time when they visit and as a result only buy magnets and maybe an ice cream as they sightsee in groups, but they clog the narrow streets and make them impassable.
Mayor Pardini responds:
“At the new tobacco factory there is still a customs house.
“Venice is also thinking about (charging an entry fee) but then it’s difficult to do it.
However, we have already done two things: the first was to impose a moratorium on souvenir shops. I read recently about a controversy regarding the opening of a new souvenir shop in via Santa Croce. But a new souvenir shop can’t open there, and if one ever tries, with the tools we have now, it can’t sell souvenirs. What was already there was there, and clearly you can’t take away rights that were acquired before the law was passed, but you can try to limit any newcomers
“You can’t build new souvenir shops anywhere in the city, you can’t build new restaurants in the amphitheatre square where there are already so many, you can’t build them in San Michele square, etc.
“We then also increased the tourist bus tax by almost 70-80 percent, we’ve already done that.
LuccaLife asks: So why not raise the tax on tourist buses again?
Mayor Pardini responds:
“This is an assessment you can make. It’s difficult though because you can’t say, ‘I don’t want that type of tourism in Lucca,’ because that would go against the concept of inclusion. A place can’t say, ‘I only want tourism that spends money,’ which is a bit difficult to implement. You have to be open to everything. You can say ‘I absolutely don’t want that type of tourism’—but how do you achieve that? You increase the supply. If you increase the quality of the offer, you tend to get a better quality of demand.
“History teaches us that where you’ve prohibited something, it has never worked in any field. In my opinion, it’s not through mitigation that problems are solved, but by trying to improve the topology of what we have. There also are financial levers. As I said, we’ve already used them, and there’s nothing stopping us from doing even more.
“But let’s remember that every action has its consequences, and they can also be negative and backfire, because there’s a whole world out there… no one has ever managed to block cruises…
“The tourist tax is also another lever we’ve used – it’s only fair that those who come should pay something back. This tourist tax on lodgings has also helped reduce to zero the TARI (a tax to finance waste management).
“Ultimately, what the municipality spends on events and tourism is 3% of its budget… social spending is 25%. … You can afford to have that 25% for social spending precisely because you also have returns from those who visit, thanks to the city’s 3% investments in tourism and the positive impact of the tourist tax…
“Opinions based on feelings are one thing, data is another: we have 1,100,000 tourists [per year], so we are light years away from places we don’t want to imitate: we don’t want the 14,000,000 in Florence or the 5,000,000 [tourists] in San Gimignano.
“The tourist pressure on Lucca isn’t as intense as people say. The numbers say so, and clearly there are certain times of the year that seem to be concentrated, and indeed they are, because there are these events that, however, they envy us for in the entire world. The other 340 days of the year, tourism density is much lower than in many places in Tuscany…
“The concept of overtourism is often used even without the data available.
“[Ironically] we went from ‘there is too much tourism,’ to June (when) the city was empty.
LuccaLife asks: Tourism pays very poorly. It does not create long-term jobs with which people can support a family. Where are the new companies creating good jobs that can retain Lucchesi and create opportunities?
Mayor Pardini responds:
“We should not be subjected to tourism, it is something that needs to be managed. We all agree on that, and that’s why it’s important to discuss and listen to all points of view…
“In my opinion, tourism is a great resource if it is managed, otherwise it becomes a problem.
LuccaLife asks: Are there plans to bring in more companies, like Fosber and Tagetik?
Mayor Pardini responds:
“No, the administration’s task is to evaluate opportunities together with ConfCommercio (the Chamber of Commerce). It functions through the Polo Nord Tecnologico, a framework that includes Lucca, Pisa, and Massa Carrara and the individual municipal provinces.
“Regarding investments and the Municipality, let’s remember that we aren’t allowed to make further industrial investments, but we must consolidate existing ones. We have an urban fabric that allows us to undertake a major regeneration of former industrial spaces, which can become spaces for companies that are no longer productive [in old ways] but Productive 2.0, 3.0…
“The Cantoni silk mill no longer exists, but you can bring technology there or anything related to services, which is the driving force of the municipality of Lucca.
LuccaLife asks: What about the coming election – how do you foresee the coalitions coming together?
Mayor Pardini responds:
“I’ve carried on these four years and two months with only one spirit and logic: that of trying to be concrete. So in my opinion, local governments must focus on getting things done, finding a unity of collaborators with proactive intent on concrete issues. This is the starting point from which we’ve continued for four years, despite any current tension, which is now being discussed…
“So the three parties and our Lucca 2032 coalition may have the same collaborators [as now] because our goals have united us and I am happy that after four years people who said that our coalition was a gimmick have been proven wrong. It wasn’t a gimmick designed to win an election. It was something I was behind because I live in Lucca, I’m from Lucca. If I say something, it’s because I believe in it, and I follow it through to the end.
“We were united by programmatic points that we share, this is the starting point on which we have always moved.
“My intention is to continue along this path in the future, because that’s what I’ve always done. I really don’t know today whether the coalition can be expanded. I’ve never talked about it because right now our goal is to get to the end and start the election campaign in the best possible way when the time comes. But it’s not about winning; if it were just about winning, one could make other choices that wouldn’t take so much time away from one’s private life as politics. I’m on the side that believes in something and wants to leave something behind to show for it.
“I also said that I personally believe that it usually happens that a civic mayor finally reaches a point where he can consider affiliating with political parties, because I believe very much in the concept of parties.
“In my opinion, politics is increasingly personalized, as has been the case in our country for decades… there’s less and less party structure and more direct contact between the individual, in this case the mayor, and the people. And this causes us to lose sight of the practical concept of when a party is needed. But instead, I think the party is the fundamental reason why a civic mayor, despite having the strength of his list, of the people who support him, if he’s within a party, is able to take much more concrete and much stronger action.
“So this is the reason why a civic mayor who wants to nominate himself can look with interest at a party. Entering a party structure allows him to have more strength to carry out an action. So this is the reason why I am not here yet to announce anything, but I reiterate that it is a possibility that certainly exists.
LuccaLife asks: Why not take the plunge and declare your candidacy?
Mayor Pardini responds:
“What’s missing is that things shouldn’t be done just for the sake of doing them; they should be done if someone believes it will improve the administrative situation they’re managing. I do believe a choice like this can improve it, so it’s only natural that it will happen. But the presentation would not change because wherever I am, I remain Mario Pardini, and I present myself as Mario Pardini, mayor. Therefore Mario Pardini now belongs to a way of governing that has seen the maximum inclusion of all the forces that have been part of me. I have tried to be the maximum listener. Ultimately, I listen to everyone and then I choose, and my task and my prerogative is to ultimately have to choose; perhaps sometimes it is [a choice] that may not please everyone, it may not even please the majority, but one has to make a decision. …
“Our project, that of Mario Pardini and the administration that has governed the city, is very clear and evident for all to see. We are not something unknown.”
FOR MORE ABOUT MAYOR PARDINI’S ACHIEVEMENTS, CLICK HERE and HERE
FOR LUCCALIFE.COM’S FIRST INTERVIEW WITH THE NEWLY ELECTED MAYOR, CLICK HERE
