NORTHERN TUSCANY - Florence and Tuscany - page 170

P

Piazza Napoleone and
Piazza del Giglio
Piazza Napoleone was laid out
in 1806 when Lucca was under
the imposed rule of Elisa
Baciocchi, Napoleon's sister.
The statue in the square is of
her successor, Marie Louise
de Bourbon. She faces the
massive Palazzo Ducale, with
its elegant colonnade built by
Ammannati in 1578. Behind
her is the Piazza del Giglio,
with the Teatro del Giglio
(1817) on the south side of
the square. The theatre is
famous for its productions
of operas by Puccini, who
was born in Lucca.

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Museo Nazionale di
Palazzo Mansi
Via Galli Tassi 43. Tel [phone].
# 8:30am-7pm Tue-Sat (to 1pm

Sun). (a cumulative ticket also

allows entry at the Museo Nazionale
Guinigi).

&

8
Lucca's picture gallery is in
the impressive 17th-century
Palazzo Mansi, with paintings
and furnishings of the same
period, typical of the time
when Mannerism was being
superseded by Baroque and
Rococo art. There are also
works by Bronzino, Pontormo,
Sodoma, Andrea del Sarto,
Tintoretto and Salvatore Rosa.

The beautiful galleried staircase
at Palazzo Pfanner

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Ramparts
Complete circuit: 4.2 km (2.5 miles).
A promenade runs along the
top of the city walls, built in
1504-1645. Marie Louise de
Bourbon made the ram-
parts into a public
park in the early
19th century, with
a double avenue
of trees. It makes
a delightful walk
with fine views
of Lucca. There
are occasional
guided tours of the
chambers and
passages inside one of
the bastions. For
more information
on the tours, which
should be booked in advance,
contact Compagnia Balestrieri
Lucca on 338 237 1277.

stalls from Lucca's cathedral,
inlaid with marquetry views
of the city in 1529.

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Casa di Puccini
Corte San Lorenzo 8 (Via di
Poggio). Tel [phone].
¢ &

The 15th-century house in
which Giacomo Puccini
(1858-1924) was born
contains many inter-
esting artifacts,
including portraits
of the great com-
poser, costume
designs for his
operas and the
piano he used when
composing his last
opera, Turandot . Left
unfinished at his
death, the composi-
tion was completed
by Franco Alfano and first
performed two years later at
La Scala, Milan.

for restoration.

E

Palazzo Pfanner
Via degli Asili 33. Tel [phone].
#

Mar-Oct: 10am-6pm daily, Nov-
Feb: by appt. &

The imposing Palazzo Pfanner,
built in 1667, has a delightful
formal garden to the rear,
which can also be viewed
from the ramparts. Laid out in
the 18th century, the garden's
central avenue is lined with
Baroque statues of ancient
Roman gods and goddesses,
alternating with lemon trees
in huge terracotta pots.
The house itself contains
an interesting collection of
furniture, antiques and
medical instruments.

The composer
Giacomo Puccini

The Porta San Donato along the tree-lined ramparts walk