Book your stay in Lucca
Strolling through Lucca means stepping into a timeless atmosphere—welcoming piazzas, Romanesque churches, and narrow cobblestone streets.
This is a city to savor slowly, letting your curiosity and sense of beauty guide you, far from the fast pace of daily life. To fully embrace its magic, the best way is to stay in the most authentic heart of Lucca, where you'll find Hotel Ilaria, nestled within the city's historic walls.
From here, every corner becomes an invitation to explore, and every path leads to a meaningful journey.
A Tower with an Extraordinary View
Among the many places that make Lucca special, the Guinigi Tower deserves a special mention. This iconic structure stands out in the city skyline with a truly unique touch: a hanging garden at its summit.
Even from afar, it sparks wonder and curiosity—but climb its 230 steps, and you’ll be rewarded with one of the most breathtaking views of the city. From behind the branches of seven ancient holm oaks towering above the rooftops, you can take in all of Lucca’s beauty at once.
A Story of Lucca’s Power and Prestige
In medieval times, Lucca was dotted with over 200 house-towers, built by the city’s most influential families in a kind of architectural competition for height and prestige. The more powerful the family, the higher their tower.
The Guinigi Tower is one of the few that survived. Many towers were later destroyed or shortened—“scalped,” as the term went—if their owners fell from political or financial grace.
The Guinigi family, one of the wealthiest and most powerful in 14th-century Lucca, left their mark on the city with this striking symbol of originality and status. According to historical accounts, the rooftop garden was already in place by the 15th century—a creative expression of both power and a love for beauty.
The tower is located at the corner of Via Sant’Andrea and Via delle Chiavi d’Oro, and today it stands as one of Lucca’s must-see attractions. Reaching the top feels like discovering a slice of paradise carved out between the city and the sky. In this one place, nature, architecture, and history come together in perfect harmony—and the view from above is a snapshot you’ll never forget, the most beautiful souvenir of your trip to Lucca.
The Guinigi Family’s Lucca
In the 15th century, Paolo Guinigi became Lord of Lucca and a brilliant patron of the arts, comparable in status and ambition to Florence’s powerful Medici family. He commissioned major works from Jacopo della Quercia, including the famous funerary monument of Ilaria del Carretto, now housed in Lucca’s Cathedral of San Martino, and the Polyptych of the Madonna and Child with Saints.
The family’s former city residence, Villa Guinigi, now serves as a museum bearing their name and holds a rich collection of sacred art. It’s yet another piece of the mosaic that makes Lucca one of the most captivating cities in all of Tuscany.
If you stay at Hotel Ilaria, you’ll discover that every walk is a step through history and beauty. Climbing the Guinigi Tower is just the beginning of a wonderful journey.
