How long are the city walls of Lucca?

The walls of Lucca are 4.2 kilometers long.
This length corresponds to exactly one tenth of the length of a marathon, and inspired the Lucca Marathon that takes place in October and starts precisely on the city walls of Lucca.

How long does it take to walk around the city walls of Lucca?

At a good pace, it is possible to walk around the walls in 45 minutes, but to enjoy the walk, the colors and the panoramas inside and outside the city, we suggest you to take it easy and calculate more or less one hour.
If you want to combine your passion for jogging with a visit to the Walls, we suggest you join the Mura di Lucca PArk RUn, a non-competitive run every Saturday morning.
 

How to enter the Walls of Lucca?

Entering the Walls of Lucca is a fairly recent and fascinating experience.
A major restoration that began in the 1980s has restored the accessibility and therefore the use of the sorties of the bastions once used only by the soldiers and protected by the bastions's trunnion.
Walking through these narrow passages, you cross the parade grounds and sometimes the halls and underground galleries of the bastions. You can enter the Walls and appreciate the complexity of this great defensive building and its evolution during the years of construction.
The sorties and underground passages currently used as pedestrian walkways are at the bastions of San Martino, San Salvatore, Santa Maria, San Paolino.
The casemate of the San Regolo bastion can be accessed with a ticket for the Botanical Garden.

 

How many are the Gates of the Walls of Lucca and what are they called?

There are six in all. Three were opened at the time of construction and three in subsequent periods.
The originals are:
Porta Santa Maria (north side) 1592
Porta San Donato nuova (east side) 1628
Porta San Pietro (south side) 1565
In later times, the following gates were opened:
Porta San Jacopo (north side), opened in 1930 to allow commercial traffic with the Serchio valley
Porta Elisa (east side) opened in 1811 by Princess Elisa Baciocchi, Napoleon's sister and princess of Lucca and Piombino, to facilitate traffic to Florence
Porta Vittorio Emanuele, better known in Lucca as Porta Sant'Anna, opened in 1910 to improve access from the densely populated Sant'Anna district.

How far are the Walls of Lucca from the train station?

Leaving the Lucca train station, the first thing you will see in front of you are the city walls of Lucca!
The closest access points are at Porta San Pietro (about 300 meters proceeding to the left, along the Walls) or directly in front of the station, along the pedestrian walkway that crosses the parade ground of the San Colombano bastion (about 200 meters) .

How many years did it take to build the Walls of Lucca?

The construction of the third circle of walls in Lucca formally began in 1513 with the establishment of the Offizio sopra le Mura.
The actual building site was opened a few years later, in 1544 and ended in 1650.

How old are the city walls of Lucca?

The city of Lucca was established in conjunction with the walls. At the time of its foundation, in the 2nd century BC, the city was already surrounded by stone walls, with four access points at the intersection with the main roads, the Cardo and the Decumanus Maximus, coming from the city forum, today the area of Piazza San Michele.
In the Middle Ages, a fortunate and prosperous period for the city thanks to its manufacturing and commercial activities, a new circle of walls was built to protect the new settlements that arose just outside the Roman walls.
The third circle, which still surrounds the city today, was built in the Renaissance period, from 1544 to 1650. This last construction is therefore almost 500 years old.

Where to park to visit the city walls of Lucca?

The interior part of the walls of Lucca almost completely coincides with a vast pedestrian area it can be accessed only, if indispensable, with a special permit to be requested at METRO srl
It is advisable to park in one of the many external car parks, along the ring road and to access easily by crossing the green area of the glacis, through a pedestrian walkway or the gates.
The car parks close to the walls can be paid or partially used with a parking disc, except for the car parks in Piazzale Don Baroni (north), the Tagliate car park (north) and the Macelli car park (east) which are free.
Find all information and a map of the parking areas on parcheggilucca.it

How many are the bastions of the city walls of Lucca and how are they called?

There are 10 bastions part of the Walls of Lucca in addition to a platform. The difference between the two structures is defined by their position (the bastion stands in defense of two adjoining curtains, the platform is positioned along the curtain), the function (the bastion is reinforced, the platform is not), in the design (the bastion has a heart, the platform has small dimensions and a rectangular plan).
Starting from the Infopoint Mura di Lucca and proceeding clockwise you meet:
Santa Croce bastion
San Frediano platform
San Martino bastion
San Pietro bastion
San Salvatore bastion
La Libertà bastion
San Regolo bastion
San Colombano bastion
Santa Maria bastion
San Paolino bastion
San Donato bastion

Can I climb above the city walls of Lucca?

The Renaissance Walls of Lucca are the symbol of the city, a completely passable and freely accessible wall.
The current promenade on the top is the result of a 19th-century renovation which modified its section and arranging the trees in regular avenues above the curtains and in the form of gardens on the ramparts.
The tree-lined avenues above the curtains and the bastion gardens can be accessed by entering through one of the access gates and using the numerous stairs and ramps located along the entire internal perimeter.
For safety reasons, it is not possible to climb the grassy knolls that delimit the avenues of the curtains and the bulwarks.

What can I do on the City walls of Lucca?

The walls are about 4.2 km long and are perfect for a big range of activities.
A walk to admire Lucca from above will be unforgettable in every season. In the autumn foliage as well as in winter, or in the spring blooms and the cool shadows in summer.
Sport fans can go for a ride (On the bicycle-rental page all the contacts where you got a bicycle) to enjoy the surrounding atmosphere and landscape or a run with friends on Saturday morning.
Meditation fans looking for relax can simply chose one of the iron or marble benches to relax in the shade of the majestic trees, read, observe passers-by.
Nature lovers will have the possibility to discover a huge collection of historic trees.
Children will find playgrounds behind the old San Donato gate and near the Casa del Boia and on the San Regolo and San Martino ramparts to have fun with the family.
During the year, the Walls of Lucca also host many events of all kinds. Competitions, music, historical re-enactments. You can find all events on WA Eventi.turismo.lucca.it