Torre delle Ore – Tower of the Hours: The Hours of Lucca
You could pass right beside it and not even notice. Torre delle Ore, Lucca’s clock tower, is tucked away in a corner of Via Fillungo, amid other tall medieval buildings. In the 13th century, the tower belonged to the Diversi family and then subsequently passed to other important families of Lucca. The change of hands was not always peaceable hence the nickname the “tower of dispute”. It wasn’t simply one of the many palazzo towers of medieval Lucca. It was one of the tallest of the city and its prime location on Via Fillungo made it symbolically unparalleled. For this reason, the General Council of Lucca arranged to rent it and place a good-sized clock on it to mark the hours. In 1490, the Council finally purchased the tower and commissioned the most prestigious jeweler and goldsmith, Labruccio Cerlotti...