THE WANDERER'S GUIDE TO LUCCA -- PART 8

THE BEST "STORY BEHIND THE BEAUTY 

AND HISTORY" GUIDEBOOK WE'VE SEEN

Lucca without walls would be like Florence without the Duomo.

The reinforced walls enclosing Lucca's historic center are some of the best preserved ramparts in Italy.

While many cities tore down their ancient walls in the name of progress, the Lucchese were wise enough to preserve theirs.

Defensive walls were first built by the Romans, who fled to safety in Lucca when Hannibal invaded Italy and defeated the Roman army in the Po valley in 218 BC.

A new, larger, medieval era wall was substantially completed by 1265.

It almost doubled the size of the city from about 90 acres to roughly 180, according to Lindquist.

The author estimates the population increased from about 10,000 to 15,000.

"In 1453, the Turks assaulted Constantinople with a barrage of cannon fire. The strongest walls in Eurpoe fell and at long last the Roman Empire fell with them," Lindquist writes. "The lesson of the effectiveness of artillery was transported to Italy when King Charles VIII of France invaded in 1494. His cannons easily dispatched any medieval wall they encountered."

Lucca started preliminary work on its Renaissance-era walls in 1513.

The new walls were completed in 1650 and they increased the size of the protected city within them to 270 acres.

"The new wall was a massive earthen structure, 100 feet wide at its base, 60 feet at the top, 23 in height," reports Lindquist, who notes there were only three gates into the city at that time.

He also reports that by the time of the Napoleonic wars, the walls no longer provided a viable military defense.

In the 1800's, the top of the thick wall was planted with trees and grass, turning it into a huge park.

Visitors and locals love to walk the perimeter of Lucca on top of the wall.

There are more than four kilometers of walls with six gates.

Order the book at www.lindquistguides.com

 For $31.40, including shipping by U.S. Mail, the guide comes with a huge, fold-out, full-color map that lists hundreds of sites detailed in The Wanderer's Guide to Lucca.