Lucca Holidays @ Lucca @ Between the Mountains and the Sea
Lucca
Unlike most of Tuscan towns,
Lucca is situated in a plain.
Lucca`s origin dates back to the Paleolith. Its name probably derives from the language of the Ligurian Celts, who called
Lucie, that is `marshland`, the area in which
Lucca is situated. Under the Romans,
Lucca became an important political and economic center. In the 3rd century B.C.
Lucca was a Roman stronghold, then in 180 B.C. it became a Roman colony. Here met Caesar, Crassus and Pompey in 56 B.C.
Lucca is organised as a typical Roman town, with straight and perpendicular streets; the elliptical Piazza del Mercato reproduces the form of the Roman amphitheater. The Renaissance walls still surround
Lucca
Its strategical position certainly contributed to Lucca`s development. The Goths and the Longobards declared it capital of Tuscia. When the Longobards were converted to Christianity,
Lucca became a diocese.
In the 13th century
Lucca became a free commune and experienced a new boom thanks to the trades with European and Asian countries.
During the Napoleonic period,
Lucca was ruled by Felice Baiocchi, the husband of Napoleon`s sister, Elisa, and in 1815 the Congress of Vienna assigned the Duchy of
Lucca to Maria Luisa of Bourbon from Parma. In 1860,
Lucca entered the Kingdom of Italy.
