History of Lucca | Walls, squares and churches

Lucca is different: its identity begins even before crossing the gates, it begins within the walls. It's about... 4.2 kilometers long, considered to largest intact Renaissance wall in Europe, now transformed into an urban park. The circuit has six gates, each with its own history, from St. Peter's Gate, entrance to contemporary Lucca, to Porta Elisa, the only one to honor a woman.

Within them, squares such as Amphitheater Square, with an elliptical shape inherited from the ancient Roman amphitheater, and the San Martino Cathedral They explain why Lucca is called the city of a hundred churches.

Two towers complete the city's skyline: the Guinigi Tower, built between the 14th and 15th centuries and recognized by the trees that grow on top, and the Tower of the Hours, the tallest in Lucca, which still houses an old clock mechanism.