Lucca and The Wall

 

There are two women who played a critical role in the history of Lucca and the city we experience today.   Maria Anna Elisa Bonaparte Baciocchi Levoy (1777 – 1820) had the vision and creative intellect to recognise the need to renovate, renew and further fortify the fortified construction and she is accredited for the city wall we see today

Map of city wall

The wall surrounding the old city, which is one of the few complete walls still intact despite the ravages of time and best efforts of developers and planners, sets Lucca aside from the richness and overwhelming wealth of historical architecture of other towns and cities in Italy.

Built as a defence in more violent times the current wall is actually the fourth version.  The original wall was much smaller and built during the Roman occupation circa 180 bce.  As the population of the city grew so the walls were extended and the encirclement increased over time.   The fourth and final wall was completed in 1650.

At over 4 kilometres in circumference it is a magnificent structure which has been well maintained and loved by locals and visitors alike.   It was Maria Anna Elisa Bonaparte Baciocchi, Napoleon’s sister, who had the vision to commission the transformation of the top of the fortification and so today we see a tree lined walk and cycleway which is in daily use with tourists on bikes or walking amongst painters (pictured above) and delightful groups of retired men playing cards or sitting in groups of three or more chatting.   There should be a photo depicting this but it seemed rude to interrupt their conversations to ask permission to take a picture so you will have to use your imagination.

Prior to the restoration of the walkway, the perimeter route was used for racing cars.   Today you can still find high performance cars such as these but they come with dealers looking for the wealthy holidaying in Italy who may be interested in an impulse purchase.

The terrible trio of Clarkson, May and Hammond chose Lucca as the starting point for their Top Gear race from the centre of the old city to Monaco in 2011.  Their Citroen DS3 Racing, Fiat 500C Abarth, Renault Clio RS 2.0 cars are a reasonable size for such ancient narrow streets but as they found the maze of twists and turns are far from straightforward to navigate.    Though private motorised vehicles are not permitted to drive along the wall top, May took a steep turning and was filmed driving along the walkway.

 

Along the top of the wall you can see both the perimeter streets and into some of the gardens including the sumptuous Palazzo Pfanner and the brilliant white statues pictured.

It is indicated that trees were originally planted along the top of the defensive wall as a natural method of stabilising the central core substances.   Undoubtedly some of the trees are exceedingly old.   However Elisa had additional trees planted to provide shade and these include the stunning evergreen magnolia.   A grand show of highly photogenic blousy creamy white blossoms appear in June.

You can also look across the roof tops of the old city to one side and the new city and miles and miles – or should we say kilometres and kilometres across the Lucca plain to the mountains in the distance.

In the heat of the Italian summer – and it is most definitely very hot! – walking along the city walls is a pleasant way to get the lay of the land and begin to navigate the complex and, for Romans who are noted for straight lines and order, the chaotic layout of the old city of Lucca.