If you’re thinking of a tour of Tuscany and want to discover the loveliest cities to visit, I absolutely suggest a trip to Lucca.
Lucca is not only the city of 100 churches, but a genuine jewel, often overshadowed by nearby Pisa and Pistoia and by beautiful Florence, just 80 km away. This part of Italy is one of the most visited, not only for its monuments but also for its natural beauty: a short distance from Lucca you can swim on the Versilia beaches or take splendid excursions on the Tuscan hills.
But what’s so interesting to see in Lucca?
First of all, you should know that the city’s history is very ancient. It was founded by Ligurian peoples, became a Roman colony in 180 BC and still preserves its ancient urban plan: where the church of San Michele now stands was the forum, and the city had a great amphitheatre, whose elliptical shape is still preserved by today’s Piazza dell’Anfiteatro.
Among the monuments to see in Lucca, don’t forget the Cathedral of San Martino, which takes its cue from the Pisa cathedral but is enriched with elements typical of Lucchese Romanesque. Inside, two masterpieces stand out and many mysteries hide: an enigmatic labyrinth, a spotless knight, a sleeping beauty and even a black Christ.
Want to know more?
Off we go!
A tourist route in Lucca, what to see
As soon as you arrive in Lucca, you’ll immediately realise the city has perfectly preserved its medieval layout, enclosed by mighty Renaissance walls that still guard houses with red terracotta roofs.
Most of the things to see in Lucca lie within these walls. The city enjoyed one of its most flourishing periods in the Middle Ages, when the finest churches, towers and palaces began to be built.
Just to name the most important monuments, the tourist route in Lucca will take you to the church of San Michele in Foro, Piazza dell’Anfiteatro and the church of San Giovanni. I absolutely recommend climbing the tower of San Giovanni: with the same ticket you can also visit the archaeological area beneath the baptistery, and the view from the top is one of the loveliest in the city.
Piazza Napoleone dates instead from the period of French rule (from 1805): in those years Lucca was governed by Elisa Bonaparte Baciocchi, Napoleon’s sister, and the square recalls the great Parisian squares of the imperial period.
In short, Lucca is one of the most beautiful cities in Tuscany, thanks also to its walls, over 4 kilometres long and perfectly preserved, now turned into a tree-lined promenade.
But the city’s true jewel is its magnificent cathedral.
Now let me tell you why!
Lucca Cathedral and its secrets
The most emblematic building in the city is without doubt the cathedral.
The Cathedral of Lucca, dedicated to San Martino, has origins in the 6th century but was rebuilt from 1070 in the typical Tuscan Romanesque style. The oldest surviving part is the tiered façade, divided by loggias of small arches, but the building holds extraordinary masterpieces and some unique features linked to esotericism and medieval spirituality.
Here are a few.
The first thing you’ll notice about Lucca Cathedral is its strangely asymmetrical façade. It’s a rare feature for a medieval structure, because harmony and symmetry symbolised the work of God. If you look carefully, you’ll notice the last arch on the right is smaller than the other two: perhaps a mistake, perhaps a structural necessity to fit the façade to the pre-existing bell tower. In any case, Lucca Cathedral has a façade unique for its time, completed at the top by Guidetto da Como in 1204.
On the façade of Lucca Cathedral you can admire the sculptures of Guidetto and his collaborators, the cycle of the months, the stories of San Martino and, above the left portal, the extraordinary Deposition by Nicola Pisano, one of the most avant-garde works of its time (around 1260).
But that’s certainly not all!
The labyrinth at the entrance to Lucca Cathedral
Right on the right pillar of the portico there’s a strange carving depicting a labyrinth. Such carvings are often associated with esotericism and appear in similar form in many ancient churches. Beside it, a Latin inscription reads:
Hic quem Creticus edit Daedalus est laberinthus, de quo nullus vadere quivit qui fuit intus, ni Theseus gratis Adriane stamine iutus.
that is
This is the labyrinth built by Daedalus of Crete, from which no one who entered could escape, except Theseus, thanks to Ariadne’s thread.
But what does all this mean?
As in the French cathedrals of Chartres, Reims and Amiens, the labyrinth is an allegory of life: you can reach salvation and “exit” only by following the “thread” of God.
But that’s not all: the labyrinth also stands for the architects, heirs of Daedalus, the first great mythical inventor, capable of building incredible edifices like the cathedrals with their art. It’s one of the best-preserved medieval labyrinths in Europe.
“Esoteric” symbols in Lucca Cathedral
If you look closely, inside San Martino in Lucca there are numerous esoteric or “secret society” symbols. It shouldn’t shock you: churches contain tombs, artworks and monuments dedicated to people and events, decorated with the patrons’ symbols, and powerful political and ecclesiastical figures often belonged to these brotherhoods.
In short, if you pay attention, you’ll find them in a great many churches!
San Martino, the knight of the cathedral
Inside the Cathedral you’ll find a recurring element, on the floor, the façade and the counter-façade: the symbol of a knight.
The cathedral’s dedicatee, Saint Martin of Tours, was in fact a knight. He was a soldier in the Roman army and converted to Christianity after a dream. The episode he’s most famous for is the one in which he gives half his cloak to a poor, freezing man: that night Christ appeared to him in a dream, wrapped in that piece of cloth. The young knight thus began his spiritual journey, which led him to become bishop of Tours.
For this reason his knightly origins are highlighted almost everywhere, to give importance not only to the figure of the saint, but to the cathedral itself.
The mysterious Volto Santo of Lucca Cathedral
The other great treasure of this cathedral is the Volto Santo (Holy Face), a wooden crucifix to which many miracles are attributed. It’s an imposing work (over 2 metres) and so venerated, throughout Europe, that it’s considered acheiropoieton, not painted by human hand but of divine origin. The Legend of Leobinus, around the year 1000, dates its arrival in Lucca to 782.
And here comes the discovery that changes everything: in 2020, on the 950th anniversary of the cathedral, the INFN carbon-14 dated the wood to between the late 8th and early 9th century. The Volto Santo is therefore the oldest wooden sculpture in the West to have come down to us, far older than was believed. A recent restoration (2025) has also brought back to light its original polychromy.
Many wonder why Christ has dark skin: for centuries the simplest explanation was that the wood, exposed to the smoke of votive candles, had gradually blackened. Today you can admire it in the beautiful octagonal shrine that Matteo Civitali built for it, in 1484, in the left nave.
The mystery of the woman in Tintoretto’s “Last Supper”
Also interesting is the wonderful Last Supper canvas by Tintoretto, in which some see a twelfth, female apostle.
The figure under scrutiny is the one on the right, dressed in red. Honestly, the light and the distance didn’t let me form a clear idea, but I found the breastfeeding figure in the foreground far more enigmatic, because I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like it in a depiction of the Last Supper.
The explanation I’ve given myself is this: since this is the first Eucharist, the woman breastfeeding should be read rather as an allegory of Christ, who gives himself to the point of offering us his “body”.
What do you think?
The sleeping beauty
Among the treasures of Lucca Cathedral, the one I loved most is the tomb of Ilaria del Carretto, young wife of Paolo Guinigi, lord of Lucca at the start of the 15th century.
This tomb is a masterpiece by Jacopo della Quercia (1406-1408) and fascinates because it marks the transition between Gothic and Renaissance art: the young woman is portrayed as a “sleeping beauty”, with a little dog at her feet, a symbol of fidelity. The details of the robes, the face, the highly polished marble give the impression she’s about to wake at any moment.
Paolo’s grief must have been truly great, because Ilaria died in childbirth at just 26. You’ll find her today in the sacristy, included in the entrance ticket.
The view from the tower of the church of San Giovanni
The finest viewpoint in Lucca is probably the tower of the church of San Giovanni, right opposite the cathedral. It rises above the city and offers a lovely panorama from above.
Personally I was a little frightened by the staircase: it’s made of iron and suspended almost in mid-air (I fear I suffer a bit from vertigo). It seemed unstable, but the view from the top repaid me for the climb and the fear.
Hours and tickets for Lucca Cathedral
The Cathedral of San Martino is open every day, with hours that vary a little by season (generally from morning until late afternoon, with reduced hours on Sunday for services). It’s always best to check the current times on the museum complex’s website before you set off.
The ticket for the cathedral alone costs about €4 (including the sacristy with Ilaria del Carretto); the combined ticket with the cathedral museum, the bell tower and the baptistery with its archaeological area costs about €9. I assure you it’s worth every last cent.
The ticket is cheap and there are no real queues, but to tie together the cathedral, San Michele, Piazza dell’Anfiteatro and the walls, a walking tour of the centre with a guide is the best way not to miss any of these mysteries.
And you - would you like to look for Ariadne’s thread in the labyrinth of Lucca and come face to face with the Volto Santo?
