Hotel Hambros il Parco

in Villa Banchieri

Lucca - Tuscany

Boutique Hotel & Congress Centre

History of Lucca

Founded as a Ligurian settlement and developed as a Roman city from 180 BC, Lucca became the capital of the Lombard Duchy of Tuscia in the sixth century and developed in the twelfth century as a town and then a republic.

Despite the constant struggles between the Guelphs and Ghibellines, and with Lucca even under the rule of the Della Scala of Verona, as well as affected by the wars with Pisa and Florence, the city gained a considerable reputation in Europe with its bankers and trade in tissues.
Apart from brief periods when it fell under the rule of foreign powers or Lords as Castruccio Castracani (photo below) and Paul Guinigi, Lucca remained an independent republic until 1799.

On 23 June 1805 by request of the senate of Lucca the Principality of Lucca and Piombino was formed and given to Napoleon's sister Elisa Bonaparte and her husband Felix Baciocchi.
The Congress of Vienna decided to create the duchy of Lucca. On 10 May, 1815 Maria Luisa of Bourbon - to whom succeeded Charles Louis de Bourbon (1824-1847) - becomes regent.
In 1847 Lucca became part of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany.
In 1860 it was finally annexed to the Kingdom of Sardinia.

Dante Alighieri included many references to the great feudal families who had a large jurisdiction and administrative and judicial powers. Dante Alighieri himself spent many years in exile in Lucca.

On 24 November 2006 Lucca hosted the Italy-France bilateral summit with the presence of the Prime Minister Prodi and the French President Chirac.