A Mini-Museum in Lucca

Lucca is not a big museum town.  There are several – Palazzo Mansi, The Paolo Cresci Emigration Museum, Villa Guinigi, the Barsanti and Matteucci, the Duomo Museum.  Most are small and many short-term visitors to Lucca are unaware that some of these even exist. Instead, they spend most of their time on the city walls, in the Medieval streets and squares, and visiting the many churches of Lucca.  Unlike nearby Florence, the museums are not what draw most people to Lucca. There is one newer and very small addition to Lucca’s collection of museums.  It is so small that it is more of a mini-museum.  But it is fascinating!  

It is located underneath Lucca’s historic walls at the Sotterraneo del Baluardo Santa Croce, the under-the-wall passage located where Via delle Conce meets Via San Tommaso in the northwest corner of the city. The passage way itself is fascinating and makes a perfect backdrop to the exhibit.

The content of the mini-museum, which tells the story of Lucca’s walls from the Medieval Period until the Renaissance and beyond, unfolds in a series of displays that line the passageway.  On the left wall is the Italian version, on the right is the story in English. 

It is a unique display, one that begins in the very low light of the darkened passageway and ends in daylight outside the confines of the city walls.  In between, photos and written histories tell the story of the walls from the 1400’s on, the important historical figures, and some of Lucca’s cultural related to the walls and their construction and function.  

Maria Luisa of Bourbon

No history of Lucca’s walls would be complete without acknowledging the role of Maria Luisa of Bourbon, the Duchess of Lucca between 1805 and 1814. It is thanks to her that the walls became a city park, one that is still enjoyed today.

There is also a bit of 19th and 20th century history in the exhibit. Did you know that there was once a threat to knock down portions of the wall to better connect it with the growth of suburbs? Fortunately objections came from all over Italy, including from famous poets and composers (including Puccini) and the plan to disrupt the walls was abandoned.

Later there came a period when the top of the walls became just a city street - filled with cars.  Many of Lucca’s youth learned to drive atop the circle of the walls. And many cars were parked there.  Hard to imagine today that up until the 1980’s the walls were filled with car traffic !

At the midway point of the sotterraneo passage, an interesting video projected on the stone walls tells the story the wall played in protecting Lucca, the times when it closed the city entirely overnight, and how dignitaries, residents and tradespeople entered the walls through Porta San Donato and Porta San Pietro.  The video plays first in Italian and then is repeated in English. It is a great addition to the exhibit.

It does not take long to visit this small space.  It provides a wonderful diversion to anyone using the passage as a way to exit the historic center on their way to the greater part of the city outside of the walls.  But it is also a good destination on its own. I am so glad that a friend pointed me to this fascinating bit of Lucca’s history.

The Medici Chapels

The Medici crest in the Cappella di Principi

It is impossible to think of Florence without thinking of the Medici family.  From Cosimo the Elder in the early 1400’s, to Lorenzo the Magnificent, ruler of the Florentine Republic and key figure during the Renaissance period, to the Grand Dukes from Cosimo I to the last Medici ruler Gian Gastone, the Medici family had an enormous impact over the centuries of their  rule.  Bankers, Rulers, Tyrants, Popes, Assassins, Queens, and patrons of the arts, their influence is impossible to overstate.  The family crest, a gold shield with five red palle (balls) and one blue palle with three fleur-de-lis, can be seen on buildings throughout Florence. 

Following the death of the last ruler, Gian Gastone, in 1737, his sister Anna Maria Luisa transferred the family’s art and treasures to the city of Florence with the caveat that the collection always remains in Florence.  And so it has, filling the Uffizi Gallery as well as many other museums and palazzi.

Anna Maria Luisa, the last heir of the ruling Medici family

It is no surprise that such an important family would have a dedicated mausoleum.  The Medici Chapel, an addition to the church of San Lorenzo, is where the Medicis were laid to rest.  It is a spectacular place to visit, especially the Cappella di Principi (Prince’s Chapel), an octagonal room filled with decoration in marble, granite, mosaics, and semi-precious stones. 

High up on the walls are the cenotaphs, each one dedicated to a Medici luminary (Cosimo I, Francesco I, Ferdinando I, Cosimo II, Ferdinando II, and Cosimo III).  They are composed of sculpted “caskets”, each topped with a crown.  Above each is an arch designed for a statue, though only two were completed –those of Cosimo 1 and Ferdinando 1.  The others stand empty.   No physical remains are present in the Cappella di Principi, the bodies were interred in the crypt. 

Around the perimeter are the coat of arms of various Tuscan cities which were under Medici control.  They are stunning - crafted from mother of pearl, quartz, alabaster, lapis lazuli and other stones. 

Behind the altar are rooms containing the Treasure of San Lorenzo.  This is a vast collection of reliquaries and other artifacts including an intact processional banner, beautifully embroidered, that belonged to the Medici Pope Leo X. 

On the same level is the Sagrestia Nuova (New Sacristy) designed by Michelangelo in 1520.  The actual tombs of brothers Lorenzo and Giuliano di Medici are here, under the altar. Two monuments to them are adorned with sculptures representing Day and Night (Guiliano’s monument) and Dawn and Dusk (Lorenzo’s).  Small and intimate, the sacristy is beautiful in its simplicity, especially placed so near to the ornate Cappella di Principi.

Almost hidden beside the altar is a simple staircase leading down to what was a storeroom.  That is where wall drawings made by Michelangelo can be found.  No entrance to that space is possible though – it requires a separate ticket for which there is a two month wait.   I’ll save that for a future visit.

The crypt contains the actual tombs of the Medici

Traces of Ancient Rome

A little bit of Ancient Rome in Spello

Modern day Italy is built over and around the remains of ancient Rome. There are countless examples, many of which are buried well below ground. They become visible only when a construction project unearths them. Often digging, whether for a big construction project (like a new metro line in Roma) or a simple home renovation, exposes stunning mosaic floors, the outlines of ancient homes, or the base of a Roman column. Many a construction project has been delayed when ruins are discovered and the archeologists arrive.

Some of the buried traces of Roman life have been carefully excavated and are opened to visitors as museums. 

In a bit of urban drama, some Roman structures sit proudly right in the middle of a city, absorbed into every day Italian life.  Rome’s Forum and Colosseum are no doubt the most well-known examples, but there are many others.  And some remnants of the Roman era aren’t ruins at all, but intact buildings still in use today. 

This 1st century amphitheater sits right in the middle of Verona, just off Piazza Bra

In Lucca, the Roman bits are mostly hidden.  But look closely and they reveal themselves. Within the church of Santa Maria della Rosa is a segment of the Roman era city walls which form one wall of the church.  More Roman history lies under the Church of San Giovanni (including Roman baths) and under Via Cesare Battisti in the Domus Romana (Roman House).  Traces of Rome in Lucca persist in the shape of Piazza Anfiteatro and in Piazza Santa Maria Forisportam which marks the border of the old Roman city. Piazza San Michele, today the best people watching spot in town, was once the site of the ancient Roman Forum. 

The Church of Santa Maria della Rosa is the best place to see the remains of the Roman era wall that once enclosed the city

Not far from Lucca, the ruins of a Roman villa sits a short distance from the shores of Lake Massaciuccoli.  Amazingly, it is possible to wander through the completely open site!

In the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region, in and around the city of Trieste, the ghosts of ancient Rome seem to be everywhere.  Most dramatic are the remnants of a Roman theater that sit right in the middle of Trieste.  A large section of the seating is intact making it easy to picture the events that took place there.

An ancient Roman theater in Trieste, right in the heart of the city

Not far from Trieste, the town of Aquileia is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  Once a Roman military post, the town has a large archeological area and a host of historical finds.  The Basilica of Santa Maria Assunta was built over layers of much earlier structures.  Its Medieval floor was removed to reveal Roman era mosaics underneath.  These can be seen up close from a clear walkway that sits just above the mosaic floor.  The detailed mosaics, rich in color and imagery, make up the largest Roman mosaic floor in this region.   

Verona

In Verona, a Roman arena sits just off Piazza Bra.  Not just a historic relic, today the arena hosts opera performances and other special events.  Climb the stone steps to where Romans once sat and feel the shadows of the past.

In Spello a Roman Gate to the city still stands.  The Porta Consolare, with its three arches, was the main entrance to Roman Spello. 

The three arches allowed carts and people to pass through. The attached tower was a Medieval addition. Like so many Italian cities, Spello clearly shows its evolution over various eras.

Porta Consolare, Spello

Next stop, Torino (Turin) where another Roman gate awaits.  This one, the Porta Palatina, has a segment with 3 arches at ground level topped with a tall two row high series of “windows” and flanked by two towers.  Statues of Julius and Augustus Caesar, reproductions of the original bronzes, stand just inside the gates. Ruts left by carts can still be seen approaching the gates.

Porta Palatina, Torino

One of the most fascinating examples of the late Roman / early Christian period in northern Italy is in the city of Ravenna. The Mausoleum of Galla Palicidia (another UNESCO World Heritage site) is deceptively plain on the exterior but breathtakingly beautiful inside. The building never fulfilled its original purpose - as the final resting place of Galla Palicidia, the powerful last Empress of the Roman Empire - but instead most likely functioned as a chapel. Small in size, but huge in impact, it is filled with ornate mosaics from floor to ceiling, in alcoves, around arches, on lunettes, and up to a blue and star filled ceiling. The interior is hushed and softly lit by light filtered through small alabaster windows. The mosaics reflect Christian religious themes through detailed and colorful mosaic figures, which include humans, animals, and plants. It is one of those places that require reverence.

One of the best Roman era aqueducts is the Post du Gard in France

These are just a sampling of Roman historical sites in Northern Italy.  Of course Roman artifacts can be found in modern day Rome, throughout Italy, and in nearby countries. Some outstanding examples are in England and France - which means I need to plan more travel!

I’ve skipped the most well-known relics of the ancient Romans in favor of some of the perhaps less famous in northern Italy. A whole lifetime would be needed to explore them all!

Walking Through Lucca’s History

In Italian, the verb rievocare means to recall, commemorate, or evoke.   Lucca is, for the most part, a Medieval city.  That history can be recalled easily in the current street plan, Medieval towers, and the many churches from that era that can be found throughout town.  To “rievocare” that Medieval history is easy. 

There are of course vestiges of earlier eras, the outline of a Roman amphitheater, remnants of the Roman wall, and some remarkable Roman ruins lying under churches and houses.  The later Renaissance history can also be spotted, most clearly in the walls that surround the historic city center.   But when it comes to celebrating historical events, it is usually the Medieval period that is recreated through costumes, processions, music, and competitions.

How would one even go about planning an event that would recall the broader scope of Lucca’s history?  From before the Roman era and through the period at the end of World War II?   Well, fortunately, someone decided to do just that, and in late May a festival took place – Rievocando Lucca, A Festival of History.

A call to arms for Roman soldiers

 The event took place on the city walls, a perfect way to present, in chronological order, a series of vignettes tracing Lucca’s history from pre-Roman/Etruscan times through the city’s liberation at the end of WWII.  Each stop along the walls featured costumed actors, period specific crafts and weapons, and representations of daily life during the time period.  The actors were a wealth of information, explaining the displays, answering questions, and demonstrating the use of tools and weapons.

 Some highlights:

The Roman Legionaires made camp along one section of the wall and they were fierce!  Dressed for battle, armed, and bearing shields, they made an impressive sight during the commander’s morning call to arms.  Marching through town one evening, they caused quite a stir with their chants and battle cries. 

 In the Medieval village, a candlemaker described the process and coloring agents used in making her candles. Nearby, a woodcarver demonstrated his skills.   The Medieval costumes were beautiful too.

Piazza Napoleone and the Ducal Palace, both created by Elisa Bonaparte.

 Napoleon also left a mark on Lucca’s history – gifting the city to his sister Elisa who ruled as the Princess of Lucca and Piombino in the early years of the 1800’s.  Her influence can still be seen in Lucca -  the largest piazza is the Piazza Napoleone and it sits in front of the Palazzo Ducale, the palace Elisa Bonaparte built.

 For the Rievocando festival, a Napoleonic camp was filled with French soldiers in their colorful uniforms.   Alongside were a group of French ladies taking tea, as they might have done once upon a time in the Palazzo Ducale.

 The final vignette was of WWII, during a time when American and Brazilian troops played an important role in and around Lucca.  It was American Buffalo soldiers who entered Lucca in September 1944, ending the occupation by Nazi forces.   

 Also fun was walking around town and seeing the many costumed participants having lunch or strolling the walls.  The weekend event provided little glimpses of Lucca as it once was. 

The Windows of Umbria

It’s August, it is hot, and I am feeling pigra (that’s Italian for lazy). To escape the heat I am inside, daydreaming about the cool April week I spent in Umbria this past spring.

Panicale

I must have taken 1,000 photos on that trip, mostly of the beautiful architecture, stunning views over the Umbrian hillsides, and spring flowers

Assisi

Looking back at my photos, many feature beautiful doors and windows. I posted some door photos last week, so today it is windows.

Panicale

Many of the windows were filled with flowers, others were shuttered and bare. Most were set into Medieval stone or brick walls. All made me wonder about all the stories they might tell.

A few of the windows were more modern, set in a vineyard in Bevagna. They provided me with a view of vines, sunsets, cats, and an occasional rabbit.

Old or new, all invited me to take their photo.

Orvieto

This week is also my birthday week and I am thinking that a perfect gift to give myself would be a return to Umbria for the Infiorata (Spello’s famous event where the streets are paved with flowers) as part of a cooking class week next June. Anyone want to join me?

Assisi