Look at Lucca: Why should you visit Lucca?

Posted on March 4, 2016 by admin

What makes Lucca one of the most beautiful towns in Tuscany? Why is it so charming and a must-see? Why should a day or more be spent in Lucca? These are some of the questions that many visitors contemplate when they are planning a trip to Italy and to Tuscany in particular. Tuscany is world-famous for its superb art, cuisine, and landscape, but, it is a multi-faceted territory that visitors should take time to explore. There are many wondrous things to see such as astounding hilltop villages and small towns dating back centuries. Nature abounds: there are rolling green hills, majestic mountains, a coast that alternates long and sandy beaches with rocky cliffs, natural hot springs, an archipelago of islands, protected natural areas and national parks. Even daily life has a particular rhythm. Lucca is in the northwest part...

Saint Zita: Tradition, History, and Science

Posted on April 22, 2010 by Anna

St. Zita has been a tradition in Lucca for centuries.  She is Lucca’s most popular saint.  From April 25^th to April 27^th, the memory of this local 13^th century servant girl is celebrated.  Street vendors call out to sell small bunches of jonquils ( a small, white, delicately perfumed flower) in her honour.  According to legend, one of the most important miracles attributed to Zita is connected, in fact, to the jonquil. Read all →

The Last Lion of the Roman Amphitheatre in Lucca

Posted on March 29, 2010 by Anna

I have lost count of the number of times a disorientated tourist has stopped me to ask where the  Roman amphitheatre can be found especially when I find myself in Via Fillungo (the main shopping street of Lucca) near the church of San Frediano.  I can comprehend their puzzlement when I point to a narrow street where the buildings aligned hide from view the remains of the amphitheatre which dates from the I – II century ad.  Few people realize that to stand before a simple Renaissance or late Gothic palazzo (building) in Lucca is like having Doctor Jekyll or Mr Hyde before you:  you have two or more personalities within the same body.  In this town, it is often more interesting to not stop at external appearances, but investigate further, get to the roots, and discover with pleasant...

Art Itineraries for Tourists

Posted on October 20, 2009 by Anna

I present you with, not a treatise on art history in regards to the two artists, but an opportunity to compare two altars, both superb works of art, one located in the cathedral of Pisa, and the other in the cathedral of Lucca.  The two altars are respectively, that of San Biagio by Stagio Stagi situated on the east wall of the left transept in the cathedral of Pisa, and that of San Regolo by Matteo Civitali Read all →

The Wells of Lucca

Posted on October 4, 2009 by Anna

According to tradition, in ancient times, Lucca was supplied with water via aqueduct, possibly an underground one, starting in proximity of Moriano.  The aqueduct was the source of numerous fountains, of which, some locations are known to us even today ( it should be mentioned that the layout of the ancient roman aqueduct was probably still in existence at this time and according to Silva reached approximately, as far as to where the church of San Frediano stands today) Read all →