A walk around Lucca, Tuscany. (6km).

A walk around Lucca

 This walk is around 6km in length, and will take you some of the many sights of Lucca, and includes walking part of the walls. There are options to hire bicycles and trikes to explore the walls too, especially if you would like to complete the whole circuit!

So, when leaving the train station (below) you will be faced with a small square. Walk through the square towards the walls of the city that you will see ahead.

 

 On the other side of the park you will reach a main road (Viale Giuseppe Giusti). Cross over and follow the path to the walls.

 

Follow the footpath up and over the walls (we will be taking in part of the wall walk later), and then follow the slope down to the road Corso Giuseppe Garibaldi, and turn left.

 

Follow the road and then turn right on to Via Molinetto and follow until you reach Piazza San Martino

Piazza San Martino, and the Cathedral of San Martino (below). The cathedral construction was begun in 1063 by Bishop Anselm (later Pope Alexander II). There is a legend to explain why all the columns of the façade are different. According to the tale, when they were going to decorate it, the inhabitants of Lucca announced a contest for the best column. Every artist made a column, but then the inhabitants of Lucca decided to take them all, without paying the artists and used all the columns.

 

 To continue this walk, head to the left side of the cathedral, where you will find this small fountain (below) - keep walking and take the street on the left Turn left onto Via delle Trombe

 

Carry on until you get to Piazza Bernardini (below). Continue straight ahead onto Via del Suffragio

After about 34m, Turn right to stay on Via del Suffragio for another 45m up to the church of Santa Giulia.

 

 Below: Chiesa di Santa Giulia. The church is documented since as early as the 10th century, but it is more ancient, as testified by the Lombard tombs in the interior. It was rebuilt in the 13th century in brickwork, while the façade was completed in the mid-14th century.

 Turn left onto Via Sant'Anastasio but only for 12m, and then follow the small road Vicolo Altopascio, which leads you back to Via Santa Croce (below).

Turn left and then take the next left and go down Via Guinigi and follow for 132m.

 Below: Via Guinigi

 At this junction below, Turn left onto Via Sant'Andrea.

 

 

A view looking straight up to the top of the Guinigi Tower! The Torre Guinigi is the most important tower of Lucca, Tuscany, central Italy. This tower is one of the few remaining within the city walls. Its main characteristic is its hanging garden on the roof of the tower.

Tickets:
3,50 euros Reduction: 2,00 euros

Opening hours:
March: 9:00-19:00
April-May: 9:00-21:00
June-September: 9:00-24:00
16 September-31 October: 9:00-21:00
November-February: 9:30-18:00

For further information: Ph: +39 0583316846
Web site: Cultura Toscana

 

Turn right onto Via delle Chiavi D'Oro

 Below: a view looking back at the Guinigi Tower.

After 104m, Turn right onto Già Via Nuova, after 83m a Slight left onto Via Angelo Custode, thenTurn right onto Via della Fratta and head up to  Piazza S.Francesco and go straight ahead.



 Continue down Via della Quarquonia to the right of Chiesa San Francesco, to the end of the street, where we meet the city walls again.

At the end of the street, turn right and then on the left you will find a path up on to the walls. Once up there, take the pathway heading to the left and continue for about 1.4km.



 

As you walk along the walls pathway, you will walk over the road gateways to the city (see images below).

After 1.4km, you will arrive at this slope which will lead down left onto Via Discesa Sant'Agostino

 

Right: Via Discesa Sant'Agostino,  follow the route round to the left,  Via del Panificio. This is now quite a wiggly route as we make our way towards the Basilica of San Frediano (see map shot below).

Below: the church on Via del Panificio. Then left again onto Via S. Sebastiano (right side of the church Oblate Dello Spirito Santo).

 At the rear of the church turn left again (Via S. Stefano continues) and then onto Via degli Asili, where you will find Palazzo Pfanner (below).

Opening Times: April –November
 Every Day 10:00 – 18:00

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VISIT TO THE GARDENS AND HOUSE
Full Price 6€
Reduction 5€ (Children 12-16 years / Students / Adults over 65 years)

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HOUSE ONLY
4.5€
Reduction 4€ (Children 12-16 years / Students / Adults over 65 years

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GARDEN ONLY
 4.5€
Reduction 4€ (Children 12-16 years / Students / Adults over 65 years)

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FREE ENTRY FOR CHILDREN UNDER 12

Giardino Pfanner S.r.l. P.iva 01868060466
La Residenza di Marcheschi Mara P.iva 01629310507
Telephone +39 0583 954029 / Fax +39 0583 954029
Email info@palazzopfanner.it

At the end of the street, Turn left onto Via Cesare Battisti and continue until you reach Via San Frediano.

 

Turn right onto Via S. Frediano. The basilica is on the left, follow the road down to the Piazza of S Frediano.

 As you walk down Via S Frediano, on the right you can see the house where the famous composer and violinist Paganni once lived.

 

 A view down to the basilica of San Frediano



 Below: a glimpse of the fantastic mosaic façade on the San Frediano.

 

 

At the top end of Piazza San Frediano, away from the basilica, you will find Via Fillungo. Turn left onto Via Fillungo for only 24m then Turn right onto Via Anfiteatro.

 

Via Anfiteatro - take the arch pathway on the right hand side.

 

On exiting the amphitheatre, turn to your right (image below) and join Via Fillungo again.

 

Then turn left and follow Via Fillungo for 344m.

On the way, you will pass by the Torre dell'Orologio (Clock Tower), and if you decided to go up, you can see magnificent views across the whole of Lucca, especially back towards the Guinigi Tower (tree topped tower). Plus there is sill the clock mechanism in place!

 

Once past the Clock Tower, carry on, past the church of San Cristoforo (below), until you reach a staggered junction that meets Via Roma. Turn right here and walk down to the Piazza San Michele.

Below - Via Roma, heading to the right down to Piazza San Michele.

Church of San Michele in Foro and Piazza San Michele

 

The church is mentioned for the first time in 795 as ad foro (in the forum). It was rebuilt after 1070 by will of Pope Alexander II.

Crossing the piazza, follow the road straight ahead (Via S. Paolino) for 66m when you will reach another, smaller square with a statue of Lucca's more famous resident, the composer Giacomo Puccini.

Following the road behind the statue to the right (or retrace your steps), leading back to Piazza S. Michele, where we will continue to the right, and follow Via Vittorio Veneto (to the right of the loggia - see below).

Next we arrive at Piazza Napoleone. In Piazza Napoleone is the Palazzo Ducale , also known as "Public Palace", which occupies the entire west side of the square. It is now the seat of the Province of Lucca. The square, which was used until 1998 for parking, then removed to a restructuring with repaving. During the excavations were temporarily brought to light the ancient foundations of the buildings razed to the ground during the Napoleonic period.

 

Leaving the Piazza at the far end (to the left of the image above), the is a small adjoining square called Piazza del Giglio. Continue straight ahead on to Via S. Girolamo until the road meets  Via Francesco Carrara (image below), and you will see the Porta San Pietro in the city walls.

Porta San Pietro - pass through the pedestrian passage on the left, and keep left on exiting on to Piazzale Umberto Primo, and follow the path along the main road which will return back to the railway station.

After 189m you will arrive back at  Piazzale Bettino Ricasoli, the square where the train station is (below).