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LUCCA
The Porta dei Santi Gervasio e Protasio that opens
off Via dei Fossi is among the last vestiges of the ancient medieval
walls, together with the Porta dei Borghi, situated at the end of
Via Fillungo. Huge in size and flanked by stone keeps decorated with
sculptures, these give us an idea of how different the walls of the time
were from the present ones. Before crossing through the doorway, it is
best to turn right towards the north, and reach Villa Guinigi,
the Guinigi family’s summer home. Obviously Gothic in style, it was
built outside the 13th-c. walls starting in 1413, by Paolo Guinigi
during his seigniory. Today, it is the seat of one of the two National Museums (the other is located in Palazzo Mansi), and houses
numerous important Etruscan and Roman works, Romanesque, Gothic and
Renaissance sculptures, and noteworthy paintings. The family’s
residence par excellence, Palazzo Guinigi, rises a short distance
away. Over it rises the characteristic Torre alberata, another of
the symbolic monuments of the city. It owes its name to the
centuries-old ilex trees that adorn its summit. Built entirely of
dark-red bricks, it is 41 metres high; from its top, a suggestive
panorama over the city can be enjoyed.
Lucca can be enjoyed from on high also from the Torre delle Ore (or Torre civica), so called because of the clock and bell tower on top,
both documented ever since 1390. Having gone back up Via Fillungo, we
continue along Via S. Giustina and encounter two remarkable buildings:
Palazzo Orsetti and Palazzo Mansi. The former, attributed to Nicolao
Civitali, is the seat of the municipal administration, which purchased
it in 1971.
Inside, among rooms of great worth are the Hall of Mirrors, and
precious paintings, such as the Morte del Wallenstein by Pietro Paolini.
The latter palace, one of the two national Museums in Lucca, is a
magnificent example of a 16th-c. noble residence. Inside are the
monumental apartments of the piano nobile with their frescoed rooms,
reception rooms with tapestries, the well-known 18th-c. Bridal (or
Lucida Mansi) Chamber, and a rich art gallery. Continuing always west,
we come out in a large green space included within the enclosing walls:
this is Piazzale S. Donato, which until the early 20th century was the
ancient Prato del Marchese, used for centuries on the occasion of the
September festivities and for other solemn celebrations, for horse races,
performances of various types, and military parades. In 1832 there was
also a large wooden amphitheatre, the work of the architect
Nottolini, which was subsequently destroyed. Once again in sight of
the walls, we can take a look at the Vecchia Porta S. Donato, which is
so called in order to distinguish it from the new one, a few metres away.
The massive square building was built in 1590 to the design of the
architect from Emilia, Ginese Bresciani. |
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