Piazza San Michele

Piazza San Michele occupies the area of Lucca's Roman forum. The facade of San Michele in Foro, medieval houses and later civic monuments make the square a meeting point of the city's religious, commercial and political history.

Why it matters

The Roman centre retained importance in medieval Lucca, when money-changers and silk merchants worked around the square. The General Council of the Republic met here until 1370, linking commerce with civic government.

What to notice

The church's tiers of loggias rise towards the statue of the Archangel Michael overcoming the dragon. Palazzo Pretorio adds a Renaissance civic frontage, and its loggia contains a monument to Matteo Civitali. Grey stone paving and marble posts joined by chains frame the church. The monument to Francesco Burlamacchi, by Ulisse Cambi, commemorates the sixteenth-century Luccan politician.

Context and history

San Michele was documented in 795 as a church at the forum. Rebuilding began around 1070 under Alexander II, with later work shaping its Romanesque and Gothic appearance. Palazzo Pretorio dates to 1492. Eighteenth-century stone paving followed the square's earlier brick surface, while the Burlamacchi monument was installed in 1863. These additions distinguish successive periods within a space whose origins lie in the Roman city.