Routes through the nature and landscapes of the Lucca area

Itinera Romanica +

Step by step through Romanesque cultural heritage

Thanks to the routes mapped and enhanced by the Itinera Romanica+ project, you can walk along ancient paths and discover the minor Romanico heritage spread throughout the area. The trip cannot be without a tour of the significant sites found in the north-western area of Tuscany, more precisely in the area that descends from Versilia, crossing the Brancoleria, towards the plain of Lucca.

The Via Francigena also gave a strong impetus to the development of important settlements and numerous places of worship along these routes. This is why the Upper Versilia, the Brancoleria and the Lucca area are full of parish churches of Romanesque origin and style. One example of this is the Pieve di San Giorgio in Brancoli, located between the hills leading to the Pizzorne plateau and the last stretches of the Serchio valley: the imposing bell tower acts as a sentinel to the building with its medieval architectural features, while the three naves house the splendid ambo depicting Madilde di Canossa, the richly decorated baptismal font and the glazed terracotta attributed to Della Robbia.

Not far away, in the same direction, is the small church of San Lorenzo, built in the 12th century, which is striking for its unusual bell tower set on an archway that serves as a passage; from the same century is the Pieve (or Parish Church) di Santo Stefano in the village of the same name a few kilometres from Lucca, in a dominant position on hillside amidst vineyards, olive groves and woodland.