Lucca - Anfiteatro Romano

The present Piazza del Mercato (market-place) in Luccafollows the ground-plan of a Roman amphitheater of the second century B.C. In ancient times it lay outside the town walls to the north; during the Great Migrations it was largely destroyed, and the remains now lie several feet below street- level. During the Middle Ages houses were built on the walls of the superstructure (scanty remains of which can still be seen); their sitting still reveals the oval form of the arena. The square in its present form, in which the market is still held, was laid out by Lorenzo Nottolini in 1830-39.