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Cinque Terre and Tuscany cooking Tour (3
nights)
Tuscany Cooking & Touring Tour
(5 nights)
Tuscany Cooking break (3 nights)
Tuscany Truffles Autumn Cooking & Touring
long week-end (2 nights)
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Lucca - Photo (c)
Zana B. Coven (Photo of another photo)
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Visit Lucca in one day
LUCCA. A Roman city, and then extremely important in the
turbulent life of the Middle Ages, it developed an individual style of
Romanesque architecture derived, with a refinement permitted to it by the
abundance of marble from nearby Carrara, from that of Lombardy. The marriage
of Romanesque architecture and marble produced, in fact, the richness of
ornament, sculptures, loggias, galleries, and capitals which was to
characterize Pisan and Lucchese architecture.
The old city is enclosed by the impressive circuit of its
ancient Walls, from which one may enjoy magnificent views of the city with
its belfries and towers. We come to the square where the 13° century
Cathedral stands, with its three orders of treading and numerous sculptures,
the most important being the group of San Martino and the Beggar on the
facade. Inside, rich in works of art from all periods, are the notable Tomb
of llaria del Carretto by Jacopo della Ouercia, an attar by Giambologna, and
a Last Supper by Tintoretto; the sacristy contains a beautiful Altar-piece
by Ghirlandaio.
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Behind the Cathedral, is the Archbishop's Palace (handsome
15° century portal), from which we reach the Oratorio di S. Maria delta
Rosa, a little gem of Gothic-Romanesque art.
Coming back to Piazza S.
Martino, with its fine buildings, and crossing the adjacent Piazza Antelminelli, we come to the church of S. Giovanni, with a beautiful Portal
dating from 1187, and the 14° century Baptistery.
From here, we go to Piazza Napoleon.
The square is
dominated by the Palazzo Provinciale (1578), which houses an excellent
Gallery and National Museum Ligurian, Etruscan and Roman archaeological
finds, sculpture of the Lombard, Pisan and Lucchese schools, works by
Civitali, the Berlinghicris, Fra Bartolomeo, Andrea del Sarto).
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View from Torre Guinigi - Photo (c)
io2
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Teatro del Giglio - Photo (c)
kyllwtr
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Following Via Vittorio Veneto, we reach the magnificent
Piazza San Michele cohere, surrounded by medieval houses, stands the
architectural pearl of Lucca: San Michele (1143) With its elegant pointed
facade enlivened by four orders of arcading. Inside we find paintings by
Filippino Lippi, a bas-relief by A. Della Robbia, etc.
We then go to Via Fillungo, the most beautiful street in
Lucca, which we take to the Roman Amphitheatre, round which medieval houses
have sprung up, creating a very picturesque effect.
A short walk from here
brings us to S. Frediano, a severe Romanesque church (1112), with mosaics
decorating its otherwise austere facade, a superb Baptismal Font, and
sculptures by Jacopo Della Ouercia, Civitali, etc.
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From here, returning to Via dell'Anfiteatro and passing
through Piazza San Pietro brings us to the church of San Francesco (13°
century) with its handsome doorway flank and by medieval sarcophagi, and
carry on to Villa Guinigi (1418), which has a fine loggia. Taking Via della
Fratta and Via Mordmi, we come to Via de' Guinigi, where we find the very
picturesque medieval part of the city, dominated by the Guinigi Tower with
its curious clump of trees growing on the top.
more on Lucca... >>>
Itinerary courtesy of
ENIT
(c) 1997-2008 E. Massetti
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