Document from the Lucca Historical Archives, taken from a manuscript. A line drawing and watercolor depicting a silhouetting of the city of Lucca, with its many towers, enclosed by the medieval walls. On the left, Saint Paulinus and two other figures in civilian clothes. On the right, Saint Frediano and two other figures in civilian clothes.

The history of Lucca's Walls coincides with the history of the city itself. For over two thousand years, Lucca has grown, defended, and defined itself through its walls, which have evolved alongside its society, its urban planning, and its worldview.

The permanent exhibition Re-cognizing the Walls This exhibition, located at various points along the City Walls and featuring texts, images, and thematic panels, recounts the history and identity of Lucca's Walls. This itinerary offers a unique perspective on the construction of the city walls, their function, and the transformations that have shaped this extraordinary urban monument over time.

The exhibition is constantly expanding: the first installation, created in 2024 in the basement of the Santa Croce bastion, the new installation in the castle of Porta San Donato Nuova was inaugurated in March 2026, and a new installation is planned in the basement of the San Colombano bastion in September 2026, where models, interactive installations, historical reconstructions, original objects and a multimedia map to orient oneself among the points of interest of the Walls will be presented.

Il project, the result of a collaboration between public bodies and scholars, is based on original documentary sources from the State Archives of Lucca and represents an important initiative to enhance the city's historical and architectural heritage.

Re-cognizing the Walls It's not just an exhibition: it's an invitation to look beneath the surface, to explore what's hidden, to rediscover a monument that continues to tell Lucca's story from within, to learn about the various aspects of the Walls of Lucca.

Some people look at the panels of the exhibition Re-Knowing the Walls in the basement of the Santa Croce delle Mura bastion in Lucca

Underground Bastion Santa Croce
Porta San Donato in the walls of Lucca, behind the canopy of a plane tree. The gate has a central entrance, two large windows at the top flanked by statues of San Paolino and San Donato, and a tympanum.

Castle of Porta San Donato
facade of the Basilica of San Paolino against a cloudy sky.

Basilica of San Paolino
The basement of the San Colombano bastion of the Lucca Walls. Large rectangular pillars support the brick vaults. Light filters from above and below a tunnel that opens to the left.

Underground of the San Colombano Bastion