Lucca Old Town 2-Hour Guided Walking Tour

The City Walls of Lucca

Lucca is famous for the complete ring of Renaissance walls that still surrounds its old town. Built between the early 16th and mid 17th century, they run for about 4.2 kilometres, with wide brick ramparts and bastions designed against cannon fire. They were never besieged; instead, in 1812 they saved the city from a flood of the Serchio river when the gates were sealed. In the 19th century the top was planted with trees and turned into a public park.

The tour starts by the old San Donato Gate, part of the original circuit, and later climbs onto a stretch of the walls for views over roofs, towers and the hills beyond. Today residents walk, jog and cycle along the top. If you are wondering whether Lucca is worth visiting, this green belt around a living medieval city is the first answer.

Piazza San Michele and San Michele in Foro

Piazza San Michele stands on the site of the Roman forum, the centre of Luca in ancient times, and the church that gives the square its name is literally called Saint Michael in the Forum. Its marble façade, finished between the 12th and 14th centuries, is one of the finest examples of Pisan Romanesque: tier upon tier of small arches on columns, each carved differently, with twisted, striped and inlaid shafts.

At the very top stands a statue of the Archangel Michael about four metres tall, with metal wings that catch the light, and local legend says a precious stone once shone on his finger. The church has been here for well over a thousand years, rebuilt several times. Your guide spends time in the square, surrounded by palaces and cafés, explaining how Lucca kept its independence as a republic until 1799.

Via Fillungo, Torre delle Ore and Torre Guinigi

Via Fillungo is the main street of the old town, a narrow medieval lane lined with shops, Art Nouveau shopfronts and old palaces. Halfway along rises the Torre delle Ore, the tallest tower in Lucca, which has kept time for the city since 1390. Its mechanism is still wound by hand, and visitors can climb its wooden stairs to the clock room and the view above.

A few streets away, Torre Guinigi is the symbol of the city: a 14th-century brick tower built by a rich merchant family, with holm oak trees growing in a garden on its top. From the street your guide shows both towers and explains how noble families once raised dozens of towers here as signs of power. If you want to climb Torre Guinigi after the tour, tickets are sold at its entrance.

Basilica of San Frediano and Piazza dell'Anfiteatro

The Basilica of San Frediano, rebuilt in the 12th century, is known for the huge golden mosaic on its façade showing the Ascension, which glows in the afternoon sun. Inside are a carved Romanesque baptismal font and the chapel of Saint Zita, a local saint venerated in Lucca for centuries. It is one of the oldest churches in the city and a favourite stop on any Lucca old town tour.

Nearby, Piazza dell'Anfiteatro is one of the most unusual squares in Italy. Its oval shape follows exactly the Roman amphitheatre of the 2nd century AD, whose stands were covered over by houses during the Middle Ages. In the 19th century the inner space was cleared, leaving a ring of pastel buildings. Walking through one of the low arches into the square is a highlight of the tour.

Lucca Cathedral of San Martino

The walk ends at Lucca Cathedral, dedicated to Saint Martin. Its asymmetric marble façade, completed in the early 13th century, leans against the older bell tower, and under the portico you find finely carved reliefs and a small labyrinth cut into a pillar, a medieval symbol of the path of life. The square in front is calm and a good place to rest after the walk.

Inside, a small marble temple of 1484 holds the Volto Santo, a wooden crucifix that, according to tradition, arrived in Lucca in the 8th century and has been the city's most venerated relic ever since. The interior visit is optional: if you wish to continue with the guide, you pay the small entrance fee on site; otherwise the tour finishes here and you are free to explore.