Lucca, Province of Lucca, Tuscany
Situated in the northern part of Tuscany, the city is rich of ancient monuments, medieval churches with rich facades and belltowers, some dating from the 8th century.
- Surface area: 185.5 sqkm
- Altitude: 19 m a.s.l
- Population: about 84,000 inhabitants
- Zip/postal code: 55100
- Dialing Area Code: +39 0583
- Patron Saint: St. Paolino, celebrated on 12 July
Find more on the official website of the City of Lucca
History - Antiquity and the Middle Ages
Internal strife afforded an opportunity in 1314 to Uguccione della Faggiuola to become lord of Lucca, but the Lucchesi expelled him two years afterwards, and handed their city to the condottiere Castruccio Castracani, under whose tyranny it became for a short time a rival to Florence, until Castracani's death in 1328.
History - Modern Times
What to see
- The Romanesque Cathedral of San Martino, begun in 1063 by Bishop Anselm (later Pope Alexander II), of which the apse and the belltower remain, while the nave and transepts were rebuilt in the Gothic style in the 14th century and the west front was begun in 1204 by Guido Bigarelli of Como ("Guidetto"). In the nave is a little octagonal shrine for the most precious relic of Lucca, a cedar-wood crucifix, carved by Nicodemus, and miraculously conveyed to Lucca in 782, generally called Volto Santo, because the face of the Saviour is considered a true likeness.
- The church of San Francesco which hosts Castracani's tomb.
- The church of San Michele.
- The walls of the old town, which remained intact as the city expanded and modernized, today a promenade ring around the town.
Where to stay
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