History in Person: A Deep Dive Into Lucca, Italy
- Jim Crescitelli
- Oct 5
- 3 min read
I recently returned from a long visit to Lucca to attend the wedding of my second cousin once removed. After a day of dining receptions that included a champagne and sweets break, a sliced meats and wine and chocolate antipasto, and a typical multi-course dinner feast, my cousin returned after a day to his work in Vienna. I had lots of free time to visit with his family and to indulge myself in Lucca's story history, which included stops for espresso, nougat candy, and late lunches doused in brunello and chianti.
From 1160 to 1799, the Republic of Lucca existed as an independent state on the Italian peninsula. Napoleon took it over in 1805 and installed his sister Elisa Bonaparte Baciocchi as ruler. Some permutations later, in 1861, it had become absorbed into the new country of Italy, with Vittorio Emmanuele II as its first king.
Proud of its past as a republic often at odds with its neighbors (Pisa, Florence, et al), the residents of Lucca today are keenly aware of the historical and architectural legacy that resides in the region, most especially within the confines of its walls.
As I am a historian for the Winter Garden Heritage Foundation, I was very interested in the preservation efforts enacted by the commune to rescue, improve, and honor Lucca's past. Easily walkable, the entire historic city center is packed with treasures. Come along with me...
The church of Santi Giovanni e Reparata is part of the complex centered on the cathedral of San Martino. Entering the church, a docent reminded me not to miss the excavations going on "downstairs."
"Downstairs," archaeologists are uncovering layers of history hidden for millennia beneath the complex. The layers of settlement begin c. 180 B.C. and stretch into the medieval period- an unforgettable experience when you realize you are physically immersed within thousands of years of history.
Behind a nondescript green, wooden door on a side street in Lucca is another example of the city's dedication to preserving its past. The Oratorio degli Angeli Custodi- the Chapel of the Guardian Angels- is a 17th. century Baroque masterpiece of design that recently reopened after a thoughtful, meticulous restoration. It was originally constructed to teach and serve the needs of the city's underprivileged children.
Lucca's most revered icion- the Volto Santo, or Holy Face- is housed within a large reliquery inside the Cathedral of San Martino. Shrouded in legend, the eight-foot tall wooden statue was allegedly carved by Nicodemus, who assisted Joseph of Arimathea in placing the Christ within his tomb. The attendant legends hold that the carving "miraculously arrived" in Lucca from the Holy Land c. 782 A.D.
When I visited, the statue was housed in a separate enclosure while restorationists clambered up and down ladders within its reliquary.
No visit to Lucca is complete without a walk or bike ride along the park ranged atop the city wall. The complete circuit runs for 4.2 kilometers, or 2.6 miles: one tenth of a marathon! The walls are maintained well and feature several stops housing historical exhibits and art exhibitions.
Steeped as I am in local history, often it's the larger visit to places like Lucca that widens our nworldview, humbling us into realizing that we're all living on a planet meant to be cohabited peacefully. Off the beaten bath, the city is by no means as congested as Rome or even Florence and Pisa, and it offers plenty of quiet spots to reflect on the world we live in. Surrounded by innumerable works of art and architecture, Lucca's millennial record helps us realize mankind's potential for creating and conserving history for generations yet to come.
My work at preserving history at the Winter Garden Heritage Foundation, though on a relatively smaller scale, is just as important: it's about the lives of people who lived to work and create the world we live in now.
