Lucca's Medieval Towers
- Mike
- Jul 7
- 4 min read
Lucca during the 13th and 14th centuries
During the first decades of the 13th century the five city states of Pisa, Lucca, Siena, Florence and Arezzo controlled all of Tuscany. However the various alliances between these cities were always in flux depending for the most part on the balance of power between Ghibelline and Guelf factions, and not just between these cities but within them too.
Pisa, not Florence, was Lucca's most frequent adversary during this period because the glory days of Florence were still a century in the future. In the 1270s Guelf-controlled Lucca and the Guelfs of Florence defeated Pisa on land and in 1284 their ally Genoa inflicted a heavy defeat on Pisa by sea at the Battle of Meloria.
In the peace that followed Lucca finally acquired access to the sea and became the second strongest power in Tuscany after Florence, and its growing influence and commercial prosperity was evidenced by the fact that it was one of the few central Italian cities with its own prestigious mint to create currency.
By the 13th century the silk industry had become the most important generator of wealth in Lucca and this industry encompassed many different skilled crafts including spinning, the production of gold and silver threads, embroidery, weaving, dyeing etc. The merchants of Lucca developed a vast network of trading and financial relationships across Europe and only the finest quality silk from China was used.
Lucca's banking tentacles at the start of the 13th century, especially through the Ricciardi family, extended across the main trading cities of western Europe including funding Edward I of England at the start of his war with France in 1294. Financing English kings at war with France did not work out well for Ricciardi just as a century later it was not to work out well for the Bardi and Peruzzi banking families of Florence, thereby opening the door to the rise of the Medici dynasty.
The ascendancy of Henry VII to Holy Roman Emperor in 1312 enabled the Ghibelline city of Pisa to exact revenge on Lucca with Henry's support and the Pisano condottiero Uguccione della Faggiuola entered Lucca in 1314 as its new master. At his side was a Lucchese Guelf by the name of Castruccio Castracani who was soon to be imprisoned and condemned to death by Uguccione.
The Lucchesi subsequently rebelled, evicted the Pisano mercenary and elected Castracani in his place. His 12 years of rule were very beneficial to Lucca's growing prosperity, culminating in the defeat of Florence, with help from Visconti of Milan, at the Battle of Altopascio in 1325. The next 44 years until it was reconstituted as a Republic in 1372 were humiliating for Lucca politically as it was bought and sold numerous times by stronger powers including Florence and Pisa.
On the near right is the 13th century Torre delle Ore and far right is the Torre Guinigi
Giovanni Sercambi was an author from Lucca who lived in the town from 1348 to 1424 and he wrote a history of his city titled Le Croniche di Luccha. A key ally of Paolo Guinigi, Sercambi's chronicle of Lucca covers the years from 1164 to 1423 and his book is adorned with 651 color illustrations of various sizes. From these illustrations it is clear that starting in the late 12th century and continuing in the 13th and 14th centuries Lucca became a town dominated by towers, fortified buildings, bell towers and all sorts of vertical structures. At least three of these towers had trees at the top similar to the Torre Guinigi today.
A 14th century Florentine poet by the name of Fazio degli Uberti also mentioned the skyline of Lucca dominated by towers in the mid-14th century.
The towers that sprang up had two essential purposes. The first was defensive, because there was hardly ever a time in these centuries when a lasting peace was secured, and the second purpose was simply as an ostentatious show of wealth by the families who were benefitting the most from Lucca's commercial activities.
On the above left photo in Piazza San Salvatore is the 13th century Veglio Tower, originally known as Torre De Ronzini. Built in a durable local stone made up of quartz conglomerates, called Verrucana, that was used widely in medieval buildings in Pisa, Lucca and Livorno, this tower has protruding shelves on the outside for the attachment of ladders which could then be removed when under attack. On the above right photo in Via Fillungo is the 13th century casa Barletti-Baroni.
Above photo left is Torre del Travaglio. Inside is our dentist's office and when you walk up the thick stone steps you can quickly tell it's a medieval construction.
The Torre Guinigi is perhaps the most famous tower in Lucca because it is now the only one remaining with old oak trees in a little garden at the top. Built in stone and brick in the 14th century it's a typical example of Romanesque-Gothic architecture and stands almost 150 feet tall requiring 230 steps to reach the top. Paolo Guinigi was the last descendant of this noble Lucchese family and he ruled as Lord of Lucca from 1401-1430 until he was deposed and imprisoned, dying a couple of years later.
It's well worth the effort to climb to the top because the views in every direction are the best in the city. A few years ago after restoration work on the Duomo San Martino it became possible to walk up the Cathedral's campanile but there is no completely open space at the top of the bell tower as there is for Torre Guinigi.
Above left is an old tower that is now part of a larger building in Via Cesare Battisti that was previously known as Palazzo Sardini. Center is the Duomo bell tower and on the right is the side view of the Veglio Tower showing more clearly the 'shelves' for securing ladders.
