A tourist's dream is to stay in the Principe Federico Suite of the Palazzo Pfanner in Lucca. Prince Frederick of Denmark had trysts with noblewoman Maria Maddalena Trenta in the suite in 1692. The suite offers a princely view of the walls of Lucca and the alluring palace gardens below.

The Moriconi family, silk merchants of Lucca, sold the building to the Controni family in 1680. The Contronis engaged architect Domenico Martinelli to build their monumental grand staircase and galleries. Filippo Juvarra, set designer and landscaper, did the garden.

Felix Pfanner, a brewer from Austria, acquired the property in 1846 and established the first brewery of Lucca. The brewery, situated in the garden, was a pleasant place for brewing and tasting. The brewery closed in 1929.

The grand staircase to the main hall of the palace is sandstone. It has vaults adorned with 18th century frescoes by Bartolomeo de Santi and Lorenzo Castellotti. The walls of the main hall are painted with frescoes painted by Pietro Paolo Scorsini in 1720.

The prime attraction is the garden. It reaches from the monumental staircase to the graceful Lemon House. It encloses two bamboo groves and a green area holding palms and indigenous pines, yews, magnolias, peonies, hydrangeas, begonias, roses and germaniums.

There is a large octagonal basin at the center of a formal garden and marble statues of the ancient gods of Olympus, watching over this little slice of paradise.

The elliptical square used to be a Roman amphitheater. Built in the 1st century AD in the reign of the Emperor Claudius, it was originally outside the city walls. It was rather large, having fifty-four arches and a seating capacity of ten thousand. Public meetings as well as games and dramas were held in the arena.

In the 6th century AD, during the Gothic wars, the amphitheater became a defensive liability because of its size and position outside the city walls. The amphitheater was fortified by closing the outer arches. In time, other buildings used as houses, storage spaces or prisons were added to the structures around the arena.

During the middle ages the upper parts of the original amphitheater began to disappear. The materials taken were used in the constructions. The arena remained along with a ruined arch or two. Buildings enclosed the space, creating a de facto square. Most of these buildings were military storehouses or used to stock salt or such.

In the early 19th century, architect Lornzo Nottolini, was deeply involved in what was called the Great Project of Tuscany, including the urban renewal of Lucca. Nottolini was commissioned to restore and revive the Piazza based on the Roman ruins of the amphitheater.

Nottolini designed a new open square just as big as the original structure. It followed the elliptical shape of the arena exactly. It became an urban market center and space for open shops. In the early 20th century the official market was shifted to another area but the square continued to be called Market Square (Piazza del Maercato).

The square can be entered only through one of its four doorways. The lowest one of these is part of the original structure of the amphitheater. To enter the market square is to follow in the steps of the Lucchese from ancient times until now.

The Guinigi Tower is easy to spot. It is a square tower of bright red brick. It rises to a height of 125 feet and there are Holm oak trees growing on the roof. There is a need to climb the tower, sit in the shade of aged oaks and look out over the ancient city of Lucca. Alert: this urge is irresistible.

The Guinigi Tower was built in 1384. The Guinigis were rich from the silk trade that passed through Lucca at the time. Once Lucca had as many as 250 such towers. Only nine remained after the warlord Castruccio Castracani ordered them demolished. This was in the 14th century, the interesting time of plagues, raids, violence. It was a time for towers.

The towers were not only havens and defensive assets, they were symbols of wealth and power and respect. Every player had to have one. At least one. When Castracani died, the Guinigi took over the city. They would keep their Tower of Power forever.

In 1805 Napoleon ruled in Tuscany. He gave the region to his sister, Elisa, making her the Grand Duchess of Tuscany. It is because of her the walls of the Tower were maintained. It is possible to visit the tower. It is 230 steps up to the observation deck. The original stairs were on the outside. Now they are inside. It's a small mercy.

Of course there are legends about the tower. If one climbs to the top in the evening, one may see a ghostly lady sitting under an oak tree with her pet dog. This is the lady Ilaria, the deceased wife of Paolo Guinigi. If she smiles at you, your heart is pure. If not, well...

The tower is open to the public for a modest fee. Reach the top and the amazing panorama of Lucca will unravel at your feet.

It is said the Cathedral of Saint Martin was founded by San Frediano in the 6th century and rebuilt by Bishop Anselmo da Baggio in 1060. It came into its current form in the 12th and 13th centuries. Anselmo later became Pope Alexander II. In 1372, the apse of the church and the wall of the transept were completed. The style was Gothic.

The facade of the church is in three great arches surmounted by three rows of galleries filled with sculptures. To the right of the facade is the bell tower. It has a four-sided base and five rows of windows divided by pilasters. The crown is made of Ghibeline merlons.

The interior is laid out in a Latin cross with three naves. The two side naves are topped by false galleries. The central nave is contained in a semicircular apse with three large Romanesque windows.

The left aisle has a small chapel holding the sacred relic, the Holy Face of Lucca. The relic is a wooden crucifix with the image of Christ, supposedly carved by Christ's contemporary Nicodemus. It is said to have suddenly appeared in Lucca in 742 AD. The chapel itself was built by Matteo Civitali in 1484. Civitali was a sculptor of Renaissance Lucca.

Off the sacristy is the funeral monument of Ilaria del Carretto, made by the sculptor Jacabo della Quercia. Ilaria was the wife of Paolo Guinigi, Lord of Lucca until 1430. The Lady Ilaria died very young. Her image depicts her lying on the sarcophagus as if asleep, her faithful dog at her feet. Her ghost is said to haunt the Guinigi tower at night.

The Cathedral is also famous for its long association with members of the Puccini family who moved to Lucca from the mountain village of Celle in 1719. Giacomo Puccini’s personal involvement with the Duomo began when he was sent here to attend a seminary school.

The Cathedral, at one time, was a home of two magnificent organs: one from the 15th century and the other from the 17th. Little remains of these instruments today but the gallery and frontal pipes are still visible. From the early 1870s, Puccini took part in the Festival of Santa Croce at the Cathedral, first as a boy singer, then as a member of the choir, and later as a deputy organist.

The first thing to notice as one approaches the city center of Lucca is the walls. They completely encircle the old town. In order to enter the old city, one must pass through one of the main ports, or gates. They are Porta Elisa, Porta San Donato, Porta San Jacabo, Porta Sangta Maria, Porta V. Emanuele or Porta San Pietro.

The midieval wall wraps around the old city for two and a half miles. It is the only complete and intact city wall left in Italy. Lucca has had three walls. The first was a Roman defensive wall that lasted to around 1000 AD. The second, medieval wall expanded to enclose the growing city. The last wall was built in the 16th and 17th centuries.

The final wall was made to repel raiders from Pisa and the quarrelsome Medicis of Florence. It was effective. Not even when the Medicis controlled the papacy could they control Lucca. The wall remains today as a reminder of Luchese independence. In 1860 Italy was unified and city walls became unnecessary. But Lucca insisted on keeping theirs.

The Puccini Birth Home, located in Corte San Lorenzo, Lucca, is a museum dedicated to the life and works of Giacomo Puccini, one of the most celebrated opera composers in history. This historic house, where Puccini was born on December 22, 1858, and spent his formative years, remains a central piece of the Puccini Museum, preserving the composer’s legacy through an extensive collection of memorabilia, documents, and personal items.

The Puccini family settled in Lucca in the early 18th century, and after the untimely death of Domenico Puccini, Giacomo’s grandfather, in 1815, they relocated to Corte San Lorenzo. His widowed grandmother, Angela Cerù, moved the family there, likely to be closer to her brother Arcangelo Cerù, who provided both moral and financial support to the Puccinis. The house was originally home to multiple generations, including Antonio Puccini, his wife Caterina Tesei, Angela Cerù, and her children, including Michele Puccini, Giacomo’s father.

The museum collection, first established in 1979, has been continuously enriched by private donations and acquisitions. The house was converted into a museum in 1925 by Puccini’s son Antonio, and despite modern enhancements, it retains its original historical appearance. The museum’s restoration efforts have ensured that visitors can experience the home as it was during Puccini’s lifetime, preserving its original furnishings and atmosphere.

Among the notable exhibits inside the museum are Puccini’s Forster and Steinway & Sons pianos, the latter used for composing Turandot. It also features signed scores, manuscripts, rare librettos, and letters with publisher Giulio Ricordi. Highlights include Macchiaioli paintings, hunting trophies, and handwritten drafts of Tosca, La Fanciulla del West, and La Rondine. A standout is a Turandot costume by Umberto Brunelleschi, worn by Maria Jeritza at its 1926 Metropolitan Opera premiere.

The museum includes rooms showcasing Puccini’s personal life, such as the kitchen, veranda, and omnibus room, which holds his funeral mask and portraits. His hunting room displays rifles, boots, and gear. In 1926, his remains were moved to a chapel in the house, where he rests with his family amid musical-themed decor.

Today, the Puccini Birth Home stands as an immersive tribute to the composer’s genius and artistic journey. Located in the heart of Lucca’s historic center, the museum continues to be a cultural landmark, celebrating the enduring legacy of one of opera’s greatest composers.