Sights in Lucca
- Sort by:
- Popular
-
A
Volto Santo
Lucca-born sculptor and architect Matteo Civitali (1436-1501) spent most of his life working on churches and villas in and around in his hometown and refused to be influenced by his counterparts in Florence. He is considered the leading exponent of a strictly Lucchese Renaissance art, and he designed both the Cattedrale di San Martino pulpit and the 15th-century tempietto (small temple) in the north aisle that contains the Volto Santo.
Legend has it that this simply fashioned image of a life-sized Christ on a wooden crucifix, in fact dated to the 11th century, was carved by Nicodemus, who witnessed the crucifixion. A major object of pilgrimage, it's carried in procession…
reviewed
-
B
Casa di Puccini
Just north of the Piazza Cittadella is Casa di Puccini, the modest house where one of the 20th century's greatest composers was born in 1858. He lived there until studies at Milan's music conservatory beckoned him aged 22.
Inside, everyday objects tell the tale of the composer's life. Specs and pen lay poised on the desk next to the Steinway piano on which Puccini, the last in a line of celebrated Lucca musicians, wrote much of Turandot (1926) while staying at his seaside villa in Viareggio in 1921. The opera, unfinished when he died, was the last before throat cancer got the better of him after last-ditch surgery in Brussels failed in 1924.
reviewed
-
C
Chiesa e Battistero dei SS Giovanni e Reparata
The 12th-century interior of the deconsecrated Chiesa e Battistero dei SS Giovanni e Reparata is a hauntingly atmospheric setting for early evening opera recitals staged by Puccini e la sua Lucca, which are held at 7pm every evening from mid-March to October, and on every evening except Thursday from November to mid-March. Professional singers present a one-hour programme of arias and duets dominated by the music of Puccini. Tickets are available from the church between 10am and 6pm.
In the north transept of the church is a baptistry crowning an archaeological area comprising five building levels going back to the Roman period.
Today's church is largely the 12th-century …
reviewed
-
D
Palazzo Pfanner
The privately owned Palazzo Pfanner is a 17th-century palace where parts of Portrait of a Lady (1996) with Nicole Kidman and John Malkovich were shot. Take the outdoor staircase to the frescoed and furnished piano nobile (main reception room), and then visit the ornate 18th-century garden, the only one of substance within the city walls. (Felix Pfanner, may God rest his soul, was an Austrian émigré who first brought beer to Italy – and brewed it in the mansion’s cellars.)
reviewed
-
E
Basilica di San Frediano
The facade of the Basilica di San Frediano has a unique (and much-restored) 13th-century mosaic in a markedly Byzantine style. The main feature of the beautiful basilica’s interior is the Fontana Lustrale, a 12th-century baptismal font decorated with sculpted reliefs, just to the right as you enter. Note, too, the fine capitals, many recycled from the nearby Roman amphitheatre.
reviewed
-
F
Cattedrale di San Martino
Lucca’s mainly Romanesque Cattedrale di San Martino, dedicated to San Martino, dates to the 11th century. The exquisite facade was constructed in the prevailing Lucca-Pisan style and designed to accommodate the pre-existing campanile. Each of the multitude of columns in its upper part is different. The reliefs over the left doorway of the portico are believed to be by Nicola Pisano.
The interior was rebuilt in the 14th and 15th centuries with a Gothic flourish. Lucca-born sculptor and architect Matteo Civitali designed both the pulpit and the 15th-century tempietto (small temple) in the north aisle that contains the Volto Santo. Legend has it that this simply fashioned …
reviewed
-
G
Chiesa di San Michele in Foro
This dazzling Romanesque church was built on the site of its 8th-century precursor over a period of nearly 300 years, beginning in the 11th century. The exquisite wedding-cake facade is topped by a figure of the Archangel Michael slaying a dragon. Inside, don’t miss Filippino Lippi’s 1479 painting of Sts Helen, Jerome, Sebastian and Roch (complete with plague sore) in the south transept.
reviewed
-
Passeggiata della Mura
Lucca’s biggest attraction is its 12m-high city walls, built snug around the old city in the 16th and 17th centuries, defended by 126 canons and crowned with a wide, silky-smooth footpath just made for a leafy Passeggiata della Mura. Be it strolling, cycling, running or rollerblading, this legendary 4km-long circular footpath above the city proffers shot after shot of local Lucchesi life.
Be it strolling, cycling, running or rollerblading, this legendary 4km-long circular footpath above the city proffers shot after shot of local Luccese life.
reviewed
-
H
Via Fillungo
Threading its way through the medieval heart of the old city is Lucca's busiest street, Via Fillungo. It's a fascinating mix of smart boutiques, restaurants and buildings of great charm and antiquity - often occupying the same space; just look up, above the street-level bustle.
reviewed
-
I
Piazza Anfiteatro
Just east of Via Fillungo is one of Tuscany's loveliest squares, oval-shaped Piazza Anfiteatro, so-called after the one-time Roman amphitheatre. Today houses, pavement cafés and restaurants now stand, jostling for space on the lovely ellipse.
reviewed
Advertisement
-
J
Torre delle Ore
There are great views of the city from its walls, yes, but for a sweeping overview head up 207 steps to the top of Torre delle Ore, a 13th-century clock tower hotly contested by rival families in medieval Lucca.
reviewed
-
K
Baptistry
In the north transept of Chiesa e Battistero dei SS Giovanni e Reparata is a baptistry crowning an archaeological area comprising five building levels going back to the Roman period.
reviewed
-
L
Palazzo Mansi
The 17th-century Palazzo Mansi is a wonderful piece of rococo excess (that elaborate, gilded bridal suite must have inspired such high jinks in its time).
reviewed
-
M
Orto Botanico
For a leafy stroll or picnic accompanied by birdsong head for Lucca's peaceful Orto Botanico, ensnared in the southeast corner of the city walls.
reviewed
-
N
Museo della Cattedrale
Many 15th- and 16th-century treasures from Cattedrale di San Martino are displayed in the adjacent Museo della Cattedrale.
reviewed
-
O
Museo Nazionale di Villa Guinigi
The Museo Nazionale di Villa Guinigi showcases the city’s art collection and archaeological remnants from Roman Lucca.
reviewed
-
P
Torre Guinigi
Attack the 230 steep stairs of Torre Guinigi, where a tiny copse of holm oak trees offers welcome shade.
reviewed
-
Q
Pinacoteca Nazionale
The smallish Pinacoteca Nazionale has 17th-century paintings and some lively frescoes.
reviewed
