Torre Guinigi tower, Lucca

Climb the Torre Guinigi tower This is Lucca’s only remaining tower-house, a 14th-century symbol of power. Lucca’s wealth, like that of Florence, was based on banking and the silk industry. Bankers were plying the Mediterranean or travelling north to Bruges, Antwerp, and London as early as the 12th century, buying and selling silk and woollen cloth.Successful bankers, such as the Guinigi family, built ostentatious tower-houses, such as this 14th-century structure, which is now regarded as a city symbol. Climb the 45-metre-high tower (230 steps) for views of the countryside and to see the outline of Lucca’s Roman amphitheatre (Anfiteatro), which is perfectly framed by mediaeval townhouses.Torre Guinigi’s style is Romanesque-Gothic, despite the fact that Lucca was not a fan of Gothic architecture. Even so, alongside the Romanesque round-arched arcading, Gothic mullioned windows can be found.