Guinigi Tower in Lucca

The Guinigi Tower, one of the few towers left standing in the city, is one of the most representative Monuments of Lucca. Its most unusual feature is the enormous holm-oak that stands on top of it. In the early 14th century - when it laid inside a much smaller enceinte than the present one - Lucca was extremely proud of its many towers and campanili. As masters of the city, the Guinigi decided to embellish their austere residences with a tower planted with trees, as a symbol of rebirth and of the power they wielded. It was the wish of the last descendant of the family that the tree-tower and the building in Via Sant'Andrea should become the property of the City of Lucca.