My Day in Lucca Among Medieval Structures

I have been to the city of Lucca before, but every time I come I always find new things to see and admire. We started our journey from Florence. The entire train journey from here to Lucca takes about an hour and a half. There is a tremendous amount of medieval detail in Lucca. The thing is, everything here was booming and growing back then. Lucca built its wealth on trade, banking and diplomacy. There are amazing Renaissance walls here, but Lucca never used them for their intended purpose. It was a message. We are ready for defense, but we prefer diplomacy. And of course, this was one of the pilgrimage centers.

There are over a hundred medieval churches here. But everyone used to go to the main cathedral San Martino. There is a depiction of the crucifixion there made by Nicodemus himself, who according to legend saw Jesus on the cross. I naturally understand that this is a legend, but the pilgrims believe it. In reality it is just a seventh century piece made by Syrian masters. But pilgrims would pray right in front of this crucifixion depiction for a safe journey.

The construction of this cathedral began back in the sixth century in the deep Middle Ages. Of course it was rebuilt many times, but what fascinated me first were the incredible fifteenth century floors.

Up above there is a place called the matronat. Can you imagine there was a tradition in Tuscany and generally in many medieval churches. Young girls and ladies, the wives of aristocrats who took part in the war, had to stand up there so as not to lock eyes with other men. What happened outside the church walls no longer concerned anyone. Hmm, sometimes I want to live in the Middle Ages, but when I hear details like this, I decide to think the matter over thoroughly 😁

Right here you have the chance to see one of the most famous sculptures of the early Renaissance. Imagine, a tomb sculpture made 600 years ago. Incredible realism. Everyone admires the folds, the tassels of these pillows and the depiction of the dog symbolizing loyalty to her husband. Young girls believe that if they approach and kiss this statue or at least touch its nose, their marriage will definitely be fortunate. 😊Unfortunately doing this right now is not a good idea. I would not advise you to touch the statues, otherwise brownish spots form on them. But as far as I can see, no one listens to the restrictions and people still approach this nose.

From the outside the cathedral is no less interesting. There are many very interesting details here. For example, details perhaps dating back to the fifth or sixth century. And of course Saint Martin himself. he takes off his cloak and gives half of it to a beggar. But this is a Catholic tradition. Meaning do not give away everything you have, give in a way that preserves your own identity. This is similar to the advice given to mothers to put oxygen masks on themselves first and then on their children.

We also saw that famous labyrinth of the Knights Templar. We searched for a way out of this labyrinth for about 30 minutes and could not find it. We had to pass through somehow. But unknown people drew the line by making it continuous. So in theory, there should have been contact points here. The labyrinth was usually placed in front of the church entrance because only a person of faith, someone who believes in God, could find a way out of any situation, a way out of the labyrinth. Here it says that Theseus found the way out of the labyrinth thanks to Ariadne's thread. There was a custom in Lucca like this. Those sentenced to death were given the opportunity to find a way out of this labyrinth. If they found the exit their execution was canceled. However, as far as I know, not a single execution cancelation has been recorded.

By the way did you know that the guillotine was abolished for the first time right here in Lucca? Moreover, the last person from Lucca was executed with this guillotine. Not because they said we forgive you. They executed him with this guillotine and then threw it into the sea in Viareggio. So with that the death penalty ended. This is one of the first cities in Italy where the end of the death penalty was declared.

These are what my friend, who lives nearby and organizes tours in Lucca and Pisa, told me. Such relations still continue between Lucca and Pisa because due to those wars in the past, people from Pisa and Lucca still do not like each other much. They even sent me a joke. Trump finally reconciled Pisa and Lucca.

Then we walked around the traditional Tuscan streets. Fishermen used to live here in the past and butchers lived separately in an entire neighborhood. There are all kinds of people here. A living, breathing city.

Then we decided to rest. We ordered an americano and they brought us a separate espresso and water in a large cup. So if you want to kill the coffee, do it yourself. I think adding water to coffee is a real crime. And after a delicious coffee, our path stretched to Altopascio.

We went one stop by train. Actually according to our plan, this was supposed to be a one-day walking route. But just so you understand, that area now consists entirely of cement, asphalt and warehouses.So we decided to start walking directly from Altopascio on the first day. Pilgrims used to pass through fields in the past. Now those places are completely covered with buildings, so we do not see much point in it. We just wanted to reach the greenery and went to see Altopascio. In my next post I will continue to tell my new adventures. I wish you a nice weekend. See you soon.