Lucca - Houses of the Guinigi

(Local Name: Case dei Guinigi) In Via dei Guinigi, almost exactly in the center of the walled old town, the visitor's eye is caught by a massive tower with holm-oaks growing on the top. It belongs to the Case dei Guinigi, a complex consisting of two mansions belonging to the noble family under whose rule Lucca enjoyed a period of peace and prosperity at the beginning of the 15th century. The two palaces, standing opposite one another, were built in the 14th-15th century and altered in later centuries. On the ground floor are porticoes, now walled up; the windows of the upper storys are separated by columns and surmounted by round-headed arches. In Via Sant'Andrea is the Loggia dei Guinigi (now walled up), in which family weddings and other occasions were once celebrated.