Lucca: The Autonomous City

As Guido Piovene said, Lucca is “an exemplary town whose historic layout is practically still intact and is understood in a single glance”. A historic layout that overcomes the evidence of its architecture and town planning and that left traces in the make-up and temperament of its townsfolk: their moderation, tolerance, dialogue and an innate predisposition for agreements which makes Lucca so different from other Tuscan towns. Those walls, which have defended the town from a military and political point of view, have also sheltered it from unwanted contamination and cultural invasions, preserving the strong sense of libertas, the founding value of liberal society.

Lucca has always been “autonomous,” actually since 180 B.C. when it was a Latin colony with a Municipium statute, which gave it a discrete administrative autonomy. Longobard capital and, later on, a strategic centre under Charlemagne, at the end of the 10th century, Lucca was the capital of the vast March of Tuscany. Apart from a few interruptions, Lucca remained free – as a municipality, republic and duchy – until 1847 when it was a vital component included in the unified state. Lucca knew how to defend its independence with clever negotiating skills, based on currency and diplomacy.

On one hand, Lucca in fact paid its allies and potential enemies in money; on the other hand, the town did continuous diplomatic work to maintain equilibrium with the powers on which its autonomy depended. This is an independence that we could now call “limited sovereignty” practised above all against the Medici family and Florence. The fact that Lucca was not subjected to a long Signoria allowed it to develop a strong sense of civic pride and institutions that enabled greater involvement. In short, it was the cradle of a real federalism that was ahead of its time.

The cost of the alliances and the growth in negotiating contacts were transformed into a formidable incentive for the development of trade and riches. For this historic development alone, Lucca is now a model of culture and a way of living. It is one of the most beautiful towns in Tuscany for its sense of measure and harmony, which you can feel in every corner of the town. The city extends in a harmonious way, amongst squares and alleyways, surrounded by the great walls, which are the frame and symbol of this measure and harmony.


(Portions of this article first appeared in "Toscana & Chianti News")
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