Piazza dell’Anfiteatro

Piazza dell’Anfiteatro is a wonderful square in Lucca, built on the remains of an ancient Roman amphitheater, which determined its closed elliptical shape.

SHORT HISTORY

A large amphitheater was built here in the 1st or the 2nd century BC, started under Emperor Claudius, and completed in the Flavian period. The structure, with fifty-four arches and 18 rows of seats, could accommodate around 10,000 spectators.

In the 6th century, during the Gothic Wars, under siege by the Byzantine general Narses, the amphitheatre was fortified by the closure of the outside arches.

Following the shape of the ancient amphitheater, the square was born in the Middle Ages. During this era, the square was called parlascio, a word derived from the Latin paralisium, meaning amphitheater. Progressively, the square was filled with buildings, used as warehouses, shops or prison.

In the 19th century, thanks to the architect Lorenzo Nottolini, was decided an urban renewal of the structure. The space of the arena was freed from the small buildings that crowded it, and Via dell’ Anfiteatro was built around it. The new space was used for the city market, until – in the first half of the 20th century – the market was moved about 130 meters away, to Mercato del Carmine.

To date, the floor of the square is raised about 3 meters from the Roman amphitheater. Access to the square is possible via 4 vaulted portals, but only one of these, the lowest, follows one of the original gates.

A curiosity to note, is the cross engraved on a tile in the center of the square, at the point of the intersection between the 4 extremes of the ellipse.

HOW TO GET THERE

Piazza dell’Anfiteatro is situated on the northeastern area of the ancient walled city, about 1.1 kilometer away from the Lucca railway station. The nearest bus stop is San Frediano, located about 180 meters away from the square, on the route of LAM Verde.