Torre Guinigi

Two are the symbolic towers of Lucca. They can be visited. The Guinigi tower, with the ilex trees at the top, and the Clock tower offer a marvelous view of the town and of the surrounding territory.
Because of its position in the very center of the town (on one of its sides runs Via Fillungo, the main street of Lucca) in 1390 the Republic decided to rent the tower and place on it a public clock, which since than gave name to the tower.

The tower was restored and the functioning of the clock was entrusted to Lambruccio Gilio Cerlotti, the most famous goldsmith of Lucca of that time.
The tower belonged first to the family of the "Quartigiani" then was acquired by the "Cerlotti" family and finally in 1471 became property of the Republic, after twenty years of negotiations complicated by further transactions and hereditary affairs. For these reasons the fabric was also called by the inhabitants "The tower of dispute".
The present aspect of the tower dates back to 1754, with its four sides on the top, the wide dial with one hand, and the three different bells that sign the hours and the quarts. In that year the clock was installed by Louis Simon from Geneva, one of the most important artisans of the time. Since then the clock is still working.

The Municipal Administration has opened the tower to visitors after having restored it for safety reasons, without altering the original aspect of the monument.
It offers to the inhabitants of the town and to the tourists a new perspective of Lucca in alternative to the view point from the Torre Guinigi.
Another curiosity is offered by the visit of the tower: the mechanism of the clock which works perfectly, and the meridian which was discovered during the recent work of restoration on the top of the tower.