Famous for its central location, the church of San Michele in Foro it is a marble structure built starting from 1070 representing an example of Pisan-Lucca architecture. It overlooks the square of the same name in the area of the ancient Roman forum, still the nerve center of city life. From the church of San Michele, along the main street of the city, Via Fillungo, we arrive atBasilica di San Frediano, one of the oldest religious buildings and fulcrum of the procession of the Holy Cross which takes place on September 13th each year.
Via Fillungoit is the heart of Lucca’s commercial and artisan activity, which skilfully combines ancient and modern. It offers visitors the chance to shop in boutiques in medieval buildings, immersed in a timeless atmosphere.
A stop to remember is the Piazza dell’Anfiteatro, a jewel of the city of Lucca with its welcoming restaurants and its painters and artists shops. Every April 27th the city pays tribute to the patron saint Santa Zita by coloring Piazza Amphitheater in colors with the traditional flower market.
Visiting Lucca is not to be missed Piazza Napoleone, named by the citizens of LuccaPiazza Grande, which represents a space born to be the center of political power with the Palazzo Ducaleplaced at his side, today seat of the Province. The arrangement of the square is very different from the original one: in fact the works promoted in the nineteenth century by Elisa Bonaparte Baciocchi, to pay homage to her brother Napoleone, led to the current structuring of the square which recalls, in fact, for some stretches, the great Parisian expanses . Today, Piazza Napoleone is the scene of numerous cultural events, such as the Lucca Summer Festival which hosts performances by world-famous artists. Trying to make the most of their historic buildings, the city of Lucca has transformed various noble palaces into important museums and major public buildings. Among these we recommend a visit to Palazzo Mansi, a seventeenth-century building that houses the collection of the National Art Gallery consisting of valuable Italian and foreign works created between the Renaissance and the eighteenth century. While offering its visitors a visit to places rich in history and culture, in recent years the city of Lucca has decided to open up to the new by promoting festivals and exhibitions that have acquired international visibility for interest and avant-garde. The traditional Lucca antiques market, which takes place every third Sunday of the month, is accompanied by initiatives of great appeal such as the Lucca Comics&Games, the international festival of comics that involves the whole city between October and November. The aforementioned Lucca Summer Festival, a proven musical event that in July makes Piazza Napoleone a stage for internationally renowned artists, and the LUCCA Digital PHOTO fest ,important festival of photography and visual art that shows off from late November until mid-December. How not to mention Puccini and his Lucca International Festival, the only permanent festival in the world, offering special concerts every day, all year round, in the fascinating Basilica of San Giovanni. The concerts begin at 7.00 pm and include famous national and international singers and pianists. A great opportunity to appreciate the voice of the most famous Lucchese in the world, with different interpreters and programs every night, to give the public the widest idea of the Puccini genius often compared to the music and arias of other great Italian operas.