Guinigiturm
The Guinigiturm (Italian: Torre Guinigi ) is the most important family tower in the city of Lucca in Tuscany (Italy) and one of the few preserved within the city. It can be visited with access from Via Sant'Andrea 45.
history
The tower, built of stone and bricks, is one of the most representative and famous monuments of Lucca; its main characteristic is that some holm oaks grow out of its top. In the early fourteenth century, Lucca was proud of the more than 250 towers and numerous bell towers that enriched the city in the Middle Ages , in a circle of walls that is much narrower than the current city walls . The Guinigi , who were the rulers of the city, wanted to refine their hitherto rather austere dwellings with a tree-lined tower, which became a symbol of rebirth.
At the request of the last descendant of the family, the tree-lined tower and palace in Via Sant'Andrea were given to the municipality of Lucca.
Among the medieval towers that were privately owned, it is the only one that was not demolished or shortened in the 16th century.
description
The tower is located on the corner of Via Sant'Andrea and Via delle Chiavi D'Oro, rises 44.25 meters above ground and thus differs from all other buildings in the old town. Reaching the top is made possible by 25 landings - with a total of 230 steps. The tower is easy to climb in the first part, but not in the last part, where you can only climb further thanks to smaller metal ramps. Numerous paintings depicting scenes from medieval life hang on the interior walls. From above you can see the city center, the Piazza Anfiteatro and the landscape of the surrounding mountains, the Apuan Alps in the northwest, the Apennines in the northeast and Monte Pisano in the south.
The hanging garden
At the top of the tower is a small hanging garden that consists of a wall box filled with earth, in which seven holm oaks have been planted.
It is not known exactly when the garden was laid out, but in a picture included in the Chronicle of Giovanni Sercambi (15th century), one can see that under the many towers of Lucca there is a tower crowned with trees. It is therefore assumed that the system at the Guinigiturm is very old, although the holm oaks that are present today have certainly been replanted over time.
Web links
literature
- Hella Kothmann, Wolf-Eckart Bühler: Toscana. Manual for individual discovery. Bielefeld 2011, ISBN 978-3-8317-2037-8 , p. 423.
Individual evidence
- ^ Palazzo e Guinigi Tower - Lucca. Retrieved December 1, 2018 (Italian).
- ^ Palazzo e Guinigi Tower - Lucca. Retrieved December 1, 2018 (Italian).
Coordinates: 43 ° 50 ′ 37.4 " N , 10 ° 30 ′ 25.2" E