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Lucca Tour Stops:
- San Giovanni & Santa Raparata Church
- San Martino Cathedral
- Museo della Cathedrale (Cathedral Museum)
- Guinigi Tower
- Piazza dell`Anfiteatro
- Church of San Friediano
- Palazzo Pfanner
- Palazzo Pretorio
- San Michele
- Museum Puccini
- San Paolino Church
- Piazza Napoleone
- Palazzo Ducale
- Piazza Giglio
- Teatro Giglio
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Read opening of the Lucca Tour:
Music . . . which fades into background as The Cicerone speaks . . .
Buongiorno! I am your Cicerone, and I will be your guide today. I am looking
forward to our walk together.
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Welcome to the town of Lucca. You are to be congratulated for your good judgment in
coming to see these historic and beautifully preserved medieval city. Our audio visit
will take most of a day, and I hope you will allow yourself time to enjoy everything
on our walk. If you must rush, the stops are well explained and you may want to walk
quickly past one stop to reach the next.
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If you get confused or lost you may rewind the tape and play something again or consult your map.
Lucca is completely surrounded by ancient city walls, but there are entrances at the train
station and at the bus station, which will allow you to go to our starting point. There are
also public toilets at each entrance. Public toilets are difficult to find in Lucca. Please
consult the map to determine the most direct way to begin our tour. Our starting point is the
San Martino Cathedral. It is clearly marked on the tour map with an arrow reading BEGIN.
Lucca is a perfect walking city, but there are a few automobiles inside these old walls so I
urge you to be very careful when you have your earphones on. Our tour is designed to have you
take your earphones off and switch off your audiotape when you are walking. Please now put on
your good walking shoes, get a bottle of water and come walk with me. Turn off your tape whenever
you hear this sound TONE. Please resume play when you are facing the San Martino Cathedral. TONE
You should now be in a square called Piazza San Martino, which is the piazza in front of the
cathedral or Duomo as the Italians call their cathedral. Piazza San Martino is the site of a
lively antiques market on the third weekend of the month, and an arts and crafts festival on
the last weekend of the month.
We are starting at a site that was sacred even to the early Romans. This town grew up over the Roman
town called Luca, following its general plan. About 500BC this area was inhabited by the Etruscans,
whom the Romans called the Tusci, thus the region's name of Tuscany. There is evidence of human
habitation in this area for many thousands of years.
Please walk to the front of the first cathedral in Lucca, the church that honors Saint Reparta
and Saint John. It is the church at the opposite end of the square from the church of Saint.
Martin. Resume play when you are facing Santa Reparta church. TONE
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We are now facing Lucca’s original cathedral of San Giovanne e Santa Reparata. The church
covers the site of a 5th century basilica named for Saint Reparta. The devout young Raparta was
an early Christian, probably from the third century, and is believed to have been martyred.
Her memory is honored in this oldest church in Lucca. The present Romanesque building dates
from the early 1100’s. The interior is spare gray stone with Roman columns.
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The elaborately
coffered ceiling was added in the 17th century. You may already know that Romanesque is the
oldest of the building styles from the Middle Ages. You may enter the church without an
admission charge. But if you want to see the Baptistery or the archeological digs, both
located in the rear, there is a small charge. The Baptistery is interesting because it dates
from the thirteen hundreds and because of its dome or cupola, which was studied by Bruneleschi,
the architect of the famous dome in Florence.
It is quite beautiful in it’s simplicity and elegant design.
The archeological ruins in the excavations show ruins of Roman structures and baths from as
early as the second century BC. In all there are five levels that have been unearthed. The
excavations also found remains of the first church here dating from the 4th century and
used as the cathedral until the seven hundreds.
Lucca is generally accepted as the first town in Tuscany to convert to Christianity and it’s first
Bishop was Paulinus, a disciple of St.Peter.
When you go into the church, notice the exhibit beside the ticket window, which explains
the church. If you choose to buy tickets to see the baptistery and archeological ruins do
so at the inside ticket office. If there is a ticket that includes the sacristy in the
Duomo buy that, because you will want to enter. Please turn off your tape now and resume
play when you are back outside and ready to go on. TONE
End Excerpt
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