Via Fillungo
According to many historians, Via Fillungo corresponds to the city's cardo maximus, the road that, originating from the Roman Forum, ran north and south. Together with the decumanus maximus, which ran west and east, it organized the city's minor streets, creating regular blocks enclosed within the walls, which were also rectangular.
In the Middle Ages, the street took its name from the Fillongo Castle in Garfagnana, over which the Falabrina family, who lived on this street, exercised feudal rights. The family's homes were located at the intersection with Via Santa Croce and were characterized by a tower built on an arch. Hence the name of the street and the exact point of its beginning, known locally as Canto D'Arco.
Via Fillungo is one of the city's most important streets: narrow, with tall buildings that at times seem to touch. Looking up, you can appreciate the elegant, refined facades from different historical periods: aristocratic palaces, but also the homes of prosperous silk workers, primarily weavers. Buildings with distinctive shapes
vertical shape, decorated with mullioned windows with thin marble columns or with imposing frames with Guamo stone sills.
Proceeding from Canto d'Arco, on the right, is the churchyard of the Church of San Cristoforo, which in the 15th century was home to the Accademia dei Mercanti. Two symbols forming a cross, to the right of the main door, are the "braccio" and the "mezzobraccio," the comb-like measurements of the picture frames once used in Lucca.
A little further on, at the intersection with Via dell'Arancio, on the right is the medieval Torre delle Ore. Originally owned by several local aristocratic families, it was finally purchased in 1490 by the Republic of Lucca, becoming one of the city's iconic symbols. From the top, reached by climbing 290 wooden steps, you can admire the beautiful panorama of Lucca's rooftops and hills.
Along this stretch of street, you'll find many old artisan workshops, as well as trendy late-19th-century cafes and shops with Art Nouveau signs, elegant jewelry shops, and perfumeries, now complemented by international franchises.
At the intersection with Via Mordini (Via Nuova), you emerge from the Roman city. The road continues through the medieval neighborhoods and opens up a little further on into Piazza San Frediano, where the church of the same name closes the square with a splendid Byzantine mosaic on its façade, a rare example of this art form in Tuscany.
On the other side of the square, the front of the buildings hides the outer walls of Piazza dell'Anfiteatro, built on the ruins of the ancient Roman amphitheater dating back to the 2nd century AD. This is a one-time visit, accessible from Piazza degli Scalpellini or Via dell'Anfiteatro.
At the end of Via Fillungo, the imposing Borgo gate along the medieval walls marks another important route: the Via Francigena, crossed by pilgrims arriving from Camaiore and heading towards the Cathedral of San Martino to venerate the Holy Face.