Mura Storiche

The walls of Lucca are a sequence of stone, brick and earthen defensive structures surrounding the central city of Lucca in Tuscany, Italy. These walls are among the best preserved Renaissance fortifications in Europe. Stretching for 4 kilometers and forming a circumference of 223 meters, they represent the second largest example of a completely walled city of this period after Nicosia in Cyprus. [1] The modern walls of Lucca, replacing earlier medieval and Roman fortifications, were the result of a construction campaign that began on May 7, 1504 and ended a century and a half later, in 1648. In the following years, the walls were improved using new knowledge and construction technologies in the second half of the XVII century. These walls play an important role in preserving the cultural identity of the city of Lucca and its surroundings, and are also a physical monument to the history of the region and the long independence of Lucca as a republic.

It is important to note that the walls of Lucca were intended as a deterrent and were never used in military operations. During their construction, the Republic of Lucca feared the expansion of the Florentine Republic and, later, the Grand Duchy of Tuscany. However, there were no open military conflicts with the Grand Duchy. Although the Republic of Lucca did engage in open clashes with the Duchy of Modena in the XVI-XVII centuries, these events took place in other areas, and the city of Lucca was never besieged, and its walls were not used in combat.

The only time the walls faced a test occurred during the catastrophic flooding of the Serchio River on November 18, 1812. The doors were tightly locked and reinforced with mattresses, which provided relative water resistance in the center of Lucca.

In the 1820s, the structure was transformed into a pedestrian promenade and a public park under the direction of Maria Luisa de Bourbon from Spain. This has led to changes not only in the use of walls, but also in spaces outside of them, which have transformed from small fortifications into spacious lawns. This public use persists for the time being: the trail along the walls remains a popular place to relax, and in summer it also serves as a natural stage for performances and events. The hippodrome is an important tourist attraction of the city of Lucca.