Piazza dell'Anfiteatro
| Piazza dell'Anfiteatro | |
|---|---|
| Data | |
| country |  Italy
|
| region |  Tuscany
|
| city | Lucca |
| Latitude | 43 ° 50 ′ 43 ″ N. |
| Longitude | 10 ° 30 ′ 22 ″ E |
The Piazza dell'Anfiteatro , also briefly Piazza Anfiteatro is a public square in the city of Lucca in the region Tuscany , Italy . The elliptical shape, which is unusual for historical places, can be traced back to its original purpose: an amphitheater built by the Romans .
Location and description
The Piazza dell'Anfiteatro is located in the city center within the city wall ring from the 17th century, adjacent to the Via Fillungo shopping street and not far from the Romanesque church of San Frediano .
The slightly more than 3000 m² large open space covers the area of an ancient Roman arena. It is surrounded by houses of different heights, which are painted in light natural and yellow tones and have green shutters typical of the region. The evenly arranged round arches are evidence of the former public area, the cavea . The ensemble still reflects the characteristic elliptical shape of a Roman amphitheater today. The square has a completely closed construction and is only accessible through the four largest round arches. These are located at the ends of the approx. 75 m long longitudinal axis and the approx. 50 m long transverse axis. The entrance arch on the east side, the only ancient Roman one, is wider and lower than the other three. Originally, it must have been significantly higher when the level of the amphitheater was about 3 meters below today's level. A cross engraved in the central base plate marks the axes and refers to the four entrance gates.
history
Before remodeling
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In the late 1st or early 2nd century, the Romans built an amphitheater outside their walled settlement of Colonia Luca . The city wall existed since approx. 180 BC. BC, the Roman forum still lives on today with the Piazza San Michele and the church of San Michele in Foro, named after the central square . Over 55 arches resting on pillars, there was another row of arches arranged offset to them. They supported the cavea, which in turn consisted of 20 steps and offered space for around 10,000 spectators. Horse races and gladiator fights were held in this rather small amphitheater. The structure of the ancient building is still partially visible on the outer walls of the square.
The city of Luca was of great strategic importance for the Romans, because it served as a bulwark against the “barbaric” attacks from the north. In the 5th century, however, the Goths occupied the city, a little later the Byzantines . The Lombards and Carolingians followed - and with them Christianity . Everything Roman fell into disrepair and was used as a quarry . In the place of the arena of the amphitheater, a public meeting place was set up and called “Parlascio” (in connection with the Italian word “parlare” for to speak). The valuable Carrara marble was used for the construction of the churches of San Frediano, Sant'Alessandro and Santa Maria Forisportam . Around the year 1000 the prison "Carceri del Sasso", which is called underground, was set up in the ruins. After its relocation, the building served u. a. as a depository for salt and saltpeter - until a slaughterhouse moved in around 1800 .
From the redesign until today
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In 1819 the Lucches architect Lorenzo Nottolini presented his client, the Duchess Maria Luisa , with a plan to redesign the area. On the advice of the influential agronomist Cosimo Ridolfi , he made the amphitheater recognizable again. For the future food market, the central area of gardens and small buildings should be cleared and the already established meat trade should be included. After the motu proprio was issued on August 16, 1830, work began; the first market in the new Piazza del Mercato took place on October 1, 1839. Carlo Lodovico , son and successor of Maria Luisa, had moved the municipal market here from Piazza San Michele .
After the market moved again about a century later - to the converted church of Santa Maria del Carmine on the square of the same name, as Mercato del Carmine - the arena square almost fell into disrepair. However, it was completely renovated in the 1970s and is now one of the most popular locations for exhibitions, concerts, festivals and other events. The buildings contain private apartments, restaurants, bars and souvenir shops.
In 2006 the Piazza dell'Anfiteatro - together with the entire historical center of the city of Lucca - was added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage . The square is one of the most visited attractions in Lucca .
literature
- Antonio Mazzarosa: Guida di Lucca e dei luoghi più importanti del ducato . Giuseppe Giusti, Lucca 1843, pages 113-117. books.google.de
Individual evidence
- ↑ A. Mazzarosa, page 114
- ^ Anfiteatro Romano - Comune di Lucca . comune.lucca.it (accessed March 20, 2020)
- ↑ documented in a parchment of the archdiocese from the year 980. A. Mazzarosa, page 117
- ↑ a b c Luk, Lucae, Lucca. Tra storia e leggenda l'anfiteatro romano . verdeazzurronotizie.it (accessed March 20, 2020)
- ↑ A. Mazzarosa, page 116
- ↑ A. Mazzarosa, page 113
- ↑ A. Mazzarosa, page 115
- ↑ A. Mazzarosa, page 113 & inscription panel (see picture)
Web links
Coordinates: 43 ° 50 ′ 43.3 " N , 10 ° 30 ′ 22.1" E