Lucca – a historic and beautiful city in Tuscany

As long ago as 56 BC, the Tuscan city of Lucca was being used for important conferences, such as the time when Julius Caesar, Pompey and Crassus, reaffirmed their political alliance towards each other. Today as you walk around the perfectly preserved old city walls, you are left in no doubt whatsoever that the great and powerful have spent time in Lucca.

Lucca is situated to the north-west of Pisa on the River Serchio. Being on the banks of a river, the plains that Lucca situates provide a fertile and picturesque landscape, which is resonant of the verdurous splendour Tuscany is famous for.

The beautiful city in Tuscany itself has wonderful medieval architecture intact and every corner of Lucca bears testimony to its historic past. When the Romans were settled in Lucca, they modelled the streets in a similar style to the roads of Rome. When Napoleon conquered Lucca and left his sister in charge, a huge town square was constructed here, which was typical of the squares of Napoleon’s native France.

Lucca was at war for many years with neighbouring Pisa and the south side of the castle wall was never altered or weakened because the people of Lucca did not want to send the wrong sort of signals to Pisa.

There are many wonderful structures in Lucca, which form its impressive skyline. Church spires and medieval buildings knit together to create a great silhouette of antiquity. The city walls have a different species of trees lining the walkways of each of the four main battlements.

The old tower houses in Lucca send out a plain and simple message to friends and foe alike: “The higher my house is, the greater is my wealth and power.” Whilst undoubtedly unusual in sight, these old tower houses go a long way towards making the marvellous skyline of Lucca what it is today.

This spectacular city has attracted many of history’s biggest names over the centuries, and even today never fails to draw in an elite stream of visitors. Particularly during the summer it seems, when the summer music festival is held and the great and famous come here to play – Eric Clapton and Carlos Santana just to mention two!

As impressive as the historic city of Lucca is Vintage Travel’s collection of villas in Tuscany, including some luxury villas in Lucca.