Lucca Half Day Tour

             Departure from the pier and driving along the highway after about 1,5 hours guests will arrive at  Lucca . Lucca was colonised by Romans in the 2c BC and it has retained the plan of a Roman military camp, with the two principal streets perpendicular to one another. During the Middle ages a complicated system of narrow alleys and oddly-shaped squares was added to the original network.

              From 1550 onwards the town became an important agricultural centre  and with this new prosperity came a renewed interest in building. The countryside was dotted with villas , the town encircled by ramparts. When Napoleon arrived, he liked so much that he gave it to his sister as a gift. It was later passed on to napoleon’s widow Marie Louise, who with her feminine sensitivity  fortified wall into a fine city park that is much enjoyed today.  

                       You will visit  the beautiful Cathedral of San Martino, which houses the Volto Santo ( Holy Visage ) who is a miraculous Crucifix . Then continue to Piazza Anfiteatro ( the Roman Amphitheater ) which today is a circle of touristy shops and the street’s  level  is nine feet above the original arena floor .the only bits of surviving Roman stonework are a few arches on the northwest exterior. And you are in via Fillungo , the main pedestrian street. Along the way you will get a taste of Lucca’s rich past, including several elegant , century –old storefronts.   From here you walk towards Torre Guinigi crowned with trees which rises above the great façade with gothic windows ; some of the bays are blind. Then you see   the outside of the Church of San Michele and San Frediano.

              After the guided visit the guests will have one-hour approximately  free time. Before returning  to  Livorno.