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DISCOVERING LUCCA

HOTEL IL NEGRESCO THE CITY WALLS

The impressive - era walls are one of the symbol of the city. They encircle the old town spreading for over than 4km and they remain intact, even as the city expanded and modernized. Built from 1504 to 1648 as a defensive rampart against the expansion of and Granducato of , the walls lost their military importance and became a pedestrian promenade, a street atop the walls linking the 11 bastions. The only occasion they were used as a real defense was in the 1812 when the river overflowed threatening the city center. The monumental doors were bolted and the locals used mattresses and straw bundles to safeguard the old city.

WALLS HISTORY

• The first walls cirle dates back to the II century b.c. and reflects the plan of the ancient roman city. • During the Medieval age were built new ramparts completed in the XIII century. This new fortification enlarged the walls perimeter on the east side and the west side. • In the XIV century was finished a new buildup that made the perimeter similar to the current one • Starting from 1504 was realized the last project that drew the current setup. BOTANICAL GARDEN

It was founded by Maria Luisa di Borbone in the 1820 to develop the cultivation of plants to be used for medicinal and therapeutic plants. Sited right in the city center it spreads for over than 2 hectares and boasts hundreds of flowers, plants and trees. THE PALACES

ORSETTI PALACE PFANNER PALACE

Magnificent palace founded in the sixteenth century by the Diodati family from Lucca. The building, that was built on the foundation of a medieval palace. It has two impressive facades, both of them It was founded on the border of the city embellished with a monumental entrance and hosts walls in the 1660 by the Moriconi family, the City hall members of the Lucca merchant nobility. In the XIX century Felix Pfanner, a local MANSI PALACE brewer from a Bavarian family, progressively acquired the structure after having set up his brewery there in 1846, the first in the and one of the first in .

The National Museum of Palazzo Mansi hosts tapestry collections and mainly post-19th century art collections of Lucca. The collection is displayed in the Baroque palace, formerly belonging to the Mansi family, and located in central Lucca. Many of the original room decorations remain in place PRETORIO PALACE DUCALE PALACE

The Ducal Palace is on the site of the Fortezza It’s a Renaissance-style civic office Augustan, it used to be the residence of building, built mainly during 16th-centuries, . The monumental palace owes located in the centre of Lucca. It was its current design to the restoration completed by originally erected in 1370 as a tribunal or Bartolomeo Ammannati in 1578. In the 1728 the Hall of Justice for the Podesta. In 1492, builiding was enlarged by adding the right wing. housing for the Podesta was added to it It houses the Provincia offices and the Risorgimento and finished about 1509. Further additions Museum. were made in 1588 by Vincenzio Civitali, who left it in its present form. It is now occupied by the courts of civil law. MASSONI PALACE The palace, sited just 200mt from the Guinigi Tower, was built in 1668 by Giovanni Controni. It boasts an impressive garden created in the seventeenth century. Here the are bordered by low walls adorned in grotesque style with , brick and decorative masks of exquisite marble.. «100 CHURCES CITY» S. MARTINO CATHEDRAL

S Martino Cathedral: Ilaria Del Carretto grave

SAN GIUSTO S.FRANCESCO «100 CHURCES CITY»

S.MICHELE S.MICHELE

SS GIOVANNI E REPARATA S.ROMANO «100 CHURCES CITY»

S.MARIA FORIS PORTAM S.MARIA FORIS PORTAM

S.FREDIANO S.MARIA DELLA ROSA «100 CHURCES CITY»

S.PIETRO SOMALDI SS PAOLINO E DONATO

S.CRISTOFORO SANTUARIO S.GEMMA T H E T O W E R S

GUINIGI TOWER HOURS TOWER One of the few towers left standing in Together with Torre Guinigi is one of the city, is one of the most the few medieval tower left in Lucca representative monuments of Lucca. out of around 170 that once existed. Its most unusual feature is the Most towers were demolished centuries enormous holm-oak that stands on top ago, but this one probably owes its of it. In the early 14th century, survival to the fact that it has contained as masters of the city, a public clock for centuries. the Guinigi decided to embellish their From the top you can have a whole residences with a tower planted with view of the city. The tower contains a trees, as a symbol of rebirth. clock since 1390. It's the highest tower The red brick tower is 44mt high and id of the city, and it's situated in the main adorned with 7 oak trees street of Lucca, Via Fillungo. THE VILLAS

VILLA REALE VILLA GRABAU

VILLA OLIVA VILLA BOTTINI THE VILLAS

VILLA TORRIGIANI VILLA MANSI THE PARKS

SERCHIO RIVER FLUVIAL PARK

250 hectares green area ideal for a pic- nic by the river, or to enjoy excursions by foot or by bike and PARCO DEL NOTTOLINI (LUCCA) horse riding. Promenade along the ancient aqueduct and the Are also avalable monumental fountains of Nottolini Park and «Alle canoe and kajak Parole d’Oro» park”. Naturalistic path by foot or tours. by mountain bike ( about 4km) MUSEUMS

• Villa Guinigi National Museum • S. Martino Cathedral Museum

• Contemporary Art Museum NATIONAL MUSEUM VILLA GUINIGI S. MARTINO CATHEDRAL MUSEUM • Puccini Museum • Palazzo Mansi National Museum • Puccini Home-Museum • Domus Romana

• Archeological area of SS. Giovanni

and Reparata church CONTEMPORARY PALAZZO MANSI ART MUSEUM NATIONAL MUSEUM • Torture Museum

• Museum of Risorgimento

• Museum of Comics and Image

• Executioner Home-Museum SS GIOVANNI AND PUCCINI HOME - DOMUS ROMANA • «Casermetta» S. Salvatore MUSEUM REPARATA CHURCH

• Tobino foundation Museum

• Paolo Cresci Museum

• Mint Museum TORTURE MUSEUM MUSEUM OF MUSEUM OF RISORGIMENTO COMICS & IMAGE FOOD SPECIALTIES

TYPICAL RECIPES FROM LUCCA

Farinata soup - Garmugia soup – Spelt soup - Cornmeal mush Matuffi - Tordelli pasta - Stewed rabbit - «Rovellina» - «Biroldo» - Roasted saltcod with chickpeas - «Torta d’Erbi» cake - «Necci» with ricotta cheese - «Buccellato» cake

FARINATA MATUFFI DI POLENTA CONIGLIO STUFATO

BACCALÀ ARROSTITO NECCI CON RICOTTA BUCCELLATO CON I CECI FOOD FAIRS AND EVENTS FESTIVAL & EVENTS

- ALL YEAR ROUND EVENTS «Enolia» April Fair of Oil, wine, typical products and local hancraft - «Arte e Ingegno» market in San Paolino - Montecarlo - Artisticamente «Viavinaria» May - Botteghe & Dimore Wine and oil tasting - Francigena Arts International Festival - : Bread fest May - Second hand books Market - Sweet Olive fest July - Jumble market «Frantoiana» style soup fest July - Lucca’s Antiques Market - August - «Art & Craft» market fair «Tortelli» and «necci» fest - Puccini and Lucca International Festival Fest of Olives with rabbit and cornmeal mush - Lucca «Settembre lucchese» September Fair and exhibition of local handcrafted items and typical products - Montecarlo Wine Fest September Antiques Market Lucca - Castelnuovo di Garfagnana Chestnut Fest October, December - Lucca «Il Desco» Flavours and traditions from Lucca November-December. Fair dedicated to the food & wine delights SPRING FESTIVAL & EVENTS

- «Verde Mura» Green Walls Fair dedicated to the gardening and open air life. - Dance Meeting Lucca Festival with dance, shows, contest and reviews - «Il ‘700 Musicale A Lucca»Music from XVIII century: musical event focused on the review of musical works of local schools in the XVIII century. - «Anteprima Vini della Costa Toscana» - Preview of the Wines from the Tuscany coast Local Food & wine tasting

SUMMER - Aedo European Academy of Opera arrange and present opera shows. - Summer Festival musical festival with concerts in the city centre - Santa Croce Holy celebrations focused on the evening candle light procession named The Luminaria - «Cartoline Pucciniane» - Postcards from Puccini Musical review focused on Puccini’s opera SUMMER FESTIVAL & EVENTS

- «Murabilia» Market and fair dedicated to the gardening. It’s held on the ancient city walls promenade. - «I Giorni di San Paolino» - San Paolino days Celebrations and historical reenactments organized by locals together with the city

AUTUMN

- «Il Desco» Flavours and traditions from Lucca November-December. Fair dedicated to the food & wine delights - Lucca Comics & Games is one of the most important Italian and European events dedicated to comics, cartoons, games, video games and so on. The 4 full days event is divided into the exposition area, where you’ll find hundreds and hundreds of stands, and the area dedicated to exhibitions, shows, games, and reenactments of historical games which is actually spread out over the city WINTER

- Aedo European Academy of Opera arrange and present opera shows. - «Il ‘700 Musicale» - Music from XVIII century musical event focused on the review of musical works of local schools in the XVIII century. HOW TO GET TO LUCCA

BY CAR - Highway A11Firenze Mare exit Lucca East-Lucca West - Highway A11 Lucca- exit Lucca East-Lucca West

- Highway A12 Genova-Rosignano FIRENZE -Versilia- Lucca, after the toll booth Versilia, near Viareggio, take the highwat connecting Viareggio and Lucca.

BY BUS Bus station is located in the city center, in Piazzale Verdi. Main connections: - from Florence: Piazzale Adua (in front of S. Maria Novella railway station) - from : Airport Bus Station and Central Railway Station - from Viareggio: Piazza Mazzini or Piazza D'Azeglio

BY TRAIN Regional trains - from Florence ( about 80minutes) - from Viareggio (about 20 minutes) - from Pisa (about 30 minutes circa)

BY PLANE From Pisa Airoport Galileo Galilei From Firenze Airoport Amerigo Vespucci www.turismo.lucca.it

HOTEL IL NEGRESCO FORTE DEI MARMI