Lucca Self Guided Walking Tour Towers and Ramparts

See the ancient Porta di San Gervasio, one of Lucca's few surviving medieval gates, standing with its two imposing towers.

Discover the church whose name means 'Saint Mary Outside the Gate,' a survivor of Lucca's older walls on the Square of the Severed Column.

Admire the bell tower of Lucca's Cathedral of San Martino and the famously narrow right arch of its facade, a compromise with the pre-existing tower.

Marvel at the soaring marble facade of San Michele in Foro, built on the old Roman forum and climbing far higher than the church's roof.

Look up at the Guinigi Tower, crowned with holm oak trees - a 14th-century symbol of one family's power over Lucca.

Step into the elliptical Piazza dell'Anfiteatro, a lively square shaped by the ghost of a 2nd-century Roman amphitheater.

See the golden mosaic facade of the Basilica di San Frediano and learn why its main entrance faces an unusual direction.

Pass through the grand Renaissance gate of Porta Santa Maria, carved with the Republic of Lucca's motto, 'Libertas.'

Walk the tree-lined Renaissance ramparts of Lucca at the Baluardo San Pietro bastion, part of the great walls encircling the old city.

End at the Casa del Boia, the former executioner's house built into the city walls - now a quiet corner with a layered past.