Tuscany Villas

Lucca @ Between the Mountains and the Sea

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.