The beautiful Lucca is a city that can be easily visited in one day, on foot or by bicycle, enjoying the historical and panoramic beauties it is able to offer. The two Towers, emblem of the city, deserve a visit: Torre Guinigi and Torre delle Ore.
In addition to being among the most representative buildings of the area, they also offer the chance of observing Lucca from a different perspective, admiring it from above, with its roofs as far as the eye can see, enclosed within the verdant walls, and the mountains framing the city. These two towers represent the only proof of the other 250 that stood out in medieval times.
These towers had no defensive purpose, but were manifestations of the power of their lords (the Guinigi family on one side and the two Quartigiani and Diversi families on the other). The height of the tower was the symbol of their importance: the higher it was, the greater the importance of the family.
Torre Guinigi is definitely a mandatory stop. All the steps to take in order to get to the summit pay off once you reach the top, when the hanging garden that loom over the tower appears in front of your eyes, with its spectacular holm oaks and a wonderful panoramic view.
The second fundamental stop is the Torre delle Ore, also iconic and distinguished by a characterizing element: a mechanical clock dating back to the 17th century, still working. A fun fact about the watch: standing at the belfry or in the area where the tower is located, you will realize the unusual marking of the hours. This happens because the sound of the hours is maintained in Roman style, according to which the day was divided into 4 parts made up of 6 hours.
Torre Guinigi è sicuramente una tappa obbligatoria. Tutti i gradini da percorrere per arrivare alla sommità vengono ripagati una volta giunti in alto, quando di fronte agli occhi appare il giardino pensile che sovrasta la torre, con i suoi spettacolari lecci, e una vista panoramica meravigliosa.
Seconda tappa fondamentale è la Torre delle Ore, anch’essa iconica e resa distintiva da un elemento caratterizzante: un orologio meccanico risalente al XVII secolo, ancora funzionante. Una curiosità sull’orologio: trovandosi presso la cella campanaria o nella zona in cui è collocata la torre, vi renderete conto dell’inusuale scandire delle ore. Questo perché viene mantenuto il suono delle ore alla romana, secondo cui la giornata era divisa in 4 parti composte da 6 ore.