Going back in time in the history of a town or a place it inevitably happens to bump into the very origins of its name that, sometimes and somehow, may seem so particular, related to such an evocative, suggestive story. It is exactly so when it comes to Lucca, a Tuscan town with almost 90,000 inhabitants, main city of its province, famous for its many natural, artistic and cultural beauties, both at a historical and a contemporary level.
Lucca’s History Between Politics, Trade and Pilgrimages
Although likely coming from previous origins, Lucca developed itself as a Roman settlement back in the 2th century B.C., staying under the influence of the Eternal City, as Rome is still called today, until the Barbarian Invasions, when the Langobards, back in the 6th century A.D. took control over the town. It was originally known as “Luca”, from the latin word lucus, i.e. “holy woods” and was mentioned for the first time by the Roman philosopher and author Cicero in one of his letters. However, the root in its name also recalls the indo-European word leuk, used to indicate an “enlightened area” while referring to a settlement built on a clearing surrounded by woods.
The Romans left a permanent mark on the town even from an urban point of view, and the town got bigger and bigger throughout the centuries, being developed on a net-shaped network of roads and alleys starting from the main two roads built by the Romans and placed perpendicularly to each other: the so called cardo (going from north to south) and decumano (east-west oriented) roads.
Back in ancient Roman times Lucca had a great military and strategic relevance, as the furthest “Tuscan” outpost northways, in order to defend Roman settlements and areas from potential enemy attacks. The Langobard domination came to an end in the late 8th century A.D., when Charlemagne conquered the town forcing it under Caroligian control. This made Lucca flourish in several production and trading activities, especially in the textile sector, which had silk manufacturing as its flagship.
During the 14th century, after being up to the challenge of facing Florence as the only Tuscan town able to curb its power, Lucca fell under the control of the Republic of Pisa, albeit briefly, winning its independence back in 1370 and becoming an autonomous republic itself. The silk trade started thriving again and Lucca became an important and famous centre in all of Europe, even thanks to its wealthy bankers. The Republic of Lucca lasted more than 400 years, being overwhelmed only by the Napoleonic troops in 1799, and being subsequently given as a gift to Elisa Bonaparte, Napoleon’s sister, who became ruler of the so-called Principality of Lucca and Piombino.
Aside of the political and military episodes, Lucca’s fame has always remained untouched even thanks to the poet and author Dante Alighieri, who wrote about the town in a lot of his works and spent a part of his exile right in town, and for being a fundamental crossroads along the via Francigena, a very famous pilgrimage route since ancient times.
A Town Full of Wonders
Beginning from its ancient Roman history, Lucca turns out to be a town rich in fascination, where everyone can be carried away and enchanted by the wonders it has to offer. Piazza dell’Anfiteatro (the Amphitheater Square) is named after the place where once a massive Roman amphitheater stood, whose ruins can still be seen proceeding along the Via dell’Anfiteatro, the main road leading downtown. It has a closed, elliptical shape, with just four small arched doors granting access to it. Lovely and cozy, it is the core of the town, where it is possible to enjoy the good panorama and a nice aperitivo time in one of the numerous bars and restaurants of the area.
The first defensive walls were built by the Romans, who aimed at strengthening the place as a fortress in order to fight the enemies from the north. As an inspiration from these walls, whose ruins are still partly visible today, Lucca has another row of walls, still solid and perfectly standing and to be traced back to the 16th and 17th centuries, thanks to the project of local architect Alessandro Farnese. The walls surround the town protecting it for almost five kilometres, with 11 bastions and three arched doors to get access to the town.
The majestic walls of Lucca are 12 metres high and 30 metres wide, as proof of the great defensive usefulness they had back in time, even though Lucca never had to face a siege. On the top of the walls, wide boulevards let locals and visitors enjoy a suggestive view over the town, where to admire a breathtaking panorama.
Next to the walls an appealing, green urban park highlights the historical nature of the place, displaying massive centuries-old trees too and being one of the most beloved places for the tourists who visit Lucca. When it comes to nature, it is impossible to miss the chance to take a tour in the town’s botanical garden, standing right next to Lucca’s historical centre.
Built in 1820 according to duchess Maria Luisa of Borbone’s will, it is now a big nursery of 200 square metres, containing a huge variety of plants.
As a town of fortresses and strongholds, in the Middle Ages Lucca counted 250 towers in its area. During the centuries every tower ended up to be destroyed but two towers, still overtopping the town today as true symbols of Lucca. The Torre del Guinigi, named after the powerful local family who had it built in the second half of the 14th century, is 45 metres high and has a vertical garden on its top, reachable after climbing up on 230-step-high stairs. The Torre delle Ore (the Clocktower) was built a few years later, in 1390, right after the proclamation of the Republic of Lucca, and only has 207 steps to get to its top, being however higher than the Guinigi tower by reaching 50 metres in height.
The Clocktower bears its name because of its mechanical, manually-chargeable clock, that made the tower really one of a kind in 1754, thanks to the work of some local clockmaker masters.
As it frequently happens in towns with a relevant history back in time, Lucca too has numerous interesting Christian and Roman Catholic places of worship, such as the Duomo di San Martino, its Romanesque-style Cathedral, with an asymmetric facade on its right side due to the need of adapting it to the steeple already there at the time of its building. It holds artistic works of priceless value like the Italian painter Tintoretto’s Ultima Cena (the Last Supper) and the famous Santa Croce, also known as the Crocifisso dal Volto Santo (the Holy Cross, better known as the Holy Face), a wooden carving of Jesus Christ crucified made back in the 8th or 9th century A.D.. This is an artwork devotedly worshipped since the Middle Ages and a genuine symbol of the town. The legend goes that it was carved by St. Nicodemus himself, one of Christ’s disciples and the very one who helped St. Joseph of Arimathea to bury Jesus Christ’s dead body in the tomb where he later resurrected from. Nicodemus wanted to picture Jesus Christ’s face using oak and cedar wood but the very moment he had to begin the carving of his face he fell into a deep sleep that prevented him from working. It is told that when he got awake he found the face already carved by angelic hands, that had already completed the statue, later moved to Lucca’s Cathedral by bishop John I, who had foreseen the whole fact in one of his dreams.
Other important churches are the Chiesa di San Michele (St. Michael’s Church), with a sculpture of St. Michael the Archangel slaying the Dragon at the top of its high facade, and the Chiesa di San Frediano (St. Frediano’s Church), a Romanesque building whose facade hosts a suggestive mosaic and whose entrance holds a wonderful baptismal font.
Lucca has also been a venue of important political meetings such as the G7 summit back in 2017, with the Foreign Affairs Ministers of Italy, Germany, Great Britain, France, U.S.A, Canada and Japan taking part in it.
However, Lucca is also a place where modern culture and fun events, whose fame and interest reach every continent, take place.
Among the biggest events with a great impact both at a social and a cultural level it is necessary to highlight the importance of the Lucca Comics and Games, an exhibition dedicated to the world of cosplay, mangas, comics, tv series, videogames and so on. Organized in town since 1966, and taking several different names during the years, it hosts dozens and dozens of thousands of fans and enthusiasts, who ttravel to Lucca from all around the world in order to visit one of the most characteristic fairs about the world of fantasy and magic.
Every year between the end of October and the beginning of November, on a 30,000-square-metre area, exhibition spaces, movie-inspired areas, musical shows, interviews and meet & greet events with authors, board and video game tournaments follow one another in succession, aiming at giving visitors fun, in name of imagination and fantasy.
So, the fantasy world joins reality at the same time in a town that praises its history as one of its strong points, making past and present live together intertwined, with a wink and a nod to the future and never forgetting to show beautiful and priceless views thanks to its landscape, architecture and art beauties. What better place to choose the luxury villa of your dreams?
