Lucca - Town Walls 
The old town of Lucca is enclosed within a circuit of walls 4.195km/2.5mi long with eleven bastions (baluardi) and six gates. The walls, 12m/39ft high and 30m/98ft thick at the base, were built by Flemish engineers between 1504 and 1645 to protect the rectangular area of the town (1,500m/1,640yd long by 900m/985yd across). Between 1823 and 1832 Maria Luigia of Bourbon, Duchess of Parma, had the old fortifications converted into a public garden.
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Must-see attractions nearby:
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A walk round the tree-shaded ramparts affords superb views of the old town with its palazzi and churches. The old town gates are also of interest, in particular the Porta San Pietro on the south side of the circuit, the Porta Santa Maria on the north side and the Porta San Donato at the west end.
