The Ducal Palace (Italian: ''Palazzo Ducale'') is a palace in

Lucca Lucca ( , ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, Central Italy, on the Serchio River, in a fertile plain near the Ligurian Sea. The city has a population of about 89,000, while its province has a population of 383,957. Lucca is known as one o ...

Tuscany Tuscany ( ; it, Toscana ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of about 3.8 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence (''Firenze''). Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, art ...

, central

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

History

The palace is located on the site of the Fortezza Augustan, the residence of condottiero

Castruccio Castracani Castruccio Castracani degli Antelminelli (; 1281 – 3 September 1328) was an Italian ''condottiero'' and duke of Lucca. Biography Castruccio was born in Lucca, a member of the noble family of Antelminelli, of the Ghibelline party. In 1300 he w ...

, where also was his palace, perhaps designed by

Giotto Giotto di Bondone (; – January 8, 1337), known mononymously as Giotto ( , ) and Latinised as Giottus, was an Italian painter and architect from Florence during the Late Middle Ages. He worked during the Gothic/Proto-Renaissance period. Giot ...

. The large complex, which occupied a fifth of the city, was destroyed by the populace in 1370. The fortress was restored and used as residence by

Paolo Guinigi Paolo Guinigi (c. 1372 - 1432) was a lord of Lucca from 1400 until 1430. Biography Paolo was born in Lucca in 1372. He was the youngest son of Francesco Guinigi, member of one of the most outstanding families of Lucca. He was sent to London in 13 ...

in 1401; after his fall in 1429 this was again partially dismantled and later became the ''Palazzo Pubblico'' ("Public Palace"). After a period as the residence of Duchess Elisa Baciocchi, it was the seat of the Lucchese state government until the

Unification of Italy The unification of Italy ( it, Unità d'Italia ), also known as the ''Risorgimento'' (, ; ), was the 19th-century Political movement, political and social movement that resulted in the Merger (politics), consolidation of List of historic stat ...

in 1861, when it was acquired by the

province of Lucca The province of Lucca ( it, provincia di Lucca) is a province in the Tuscany region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Lucca. It has an area of and a total population of about 390,000. There are 33 ''comuni'' (singular: ''comune'') in the pro ...

Description

The palace is of large size and owes its current appearance to

Bartolomeo Ammannati Bartolomeo Ammannati (18 June 151113 April 1592) was an Italian architect and sculptor, born at Settignano, near Florence. He studied under Baccio Bandinelli and Jacopo Sansovino (assisting on the design of the Library of St. Mark's, the ''Bibli ...

's restoration in 1578 (from the left side to the central portal). The right wing was added only in 1728 by Francesco Pini, a pupil of

Filippo Juvarra Filippo is an Italian male given name, which is the equivalent of the English name Philip, from the Greek ''Philippos'', meaning "amante dei cavalli".''Behind the Name''"Given Name Philip" Retrieved on 23 January 2016. The female variant is Filip ...

. In the early 19th century it was further enriched by the ducal architect

Lorenzo Nottolini Lorenzo Nottolini (May 6, 1787 – September 12, 1851) was an architect and engineer of the Neoclassic style in Lucca, Italy. Biography He was born at Capannori, but lived and mainly worked in Lucca. He is famous for the Nottolini aqueduct and ...

. The palace includes a central court, which is unfinished. It has a double portico with pillars and, in the center, a statue of the Lucchese lawyer

Francesco Carrara Francesco Carrara may refer to: * Francesco I da Carrara (1325–1393) * Francesco Carrara (Cardinal), Camerlengo of the Sacred College of Cardinals 1790–1791 * Francesco Carrara (jurist) (1805–1888), Italian jurist * Francesco Carrara (archae ...

, work by Augusto Passaglia. On the left is another unfinished court, known as ''Cortile degli Svizzeri'', referring to the corps of Swiss Guard in service of the

Republic of Lucca The Republic of Lucca ( it, Repubblica di Lucca) was a medieval and early modern state that was centered on the Italian city of Lucca in Tuscany, which lasted from 1160 to 1805. Its territory extended beyond the city of Lucca, reaching the surr ...

, also designed by Ammannati and characterized by the use of rustication. The interior hall, accessed through a monumental stair by Nottolini, housed the National Gallery of Lucca, moved to Villa Guinigi in 1977. The staircase ends with a gallery of statues. The Hall of the General Council of the Republic has a Flemish painting and a fresco of the Lucchese Freedom. Above the Loggia delle Guardie is the Ammannati Loggia, decorated with

grotesque Since at least the 18th century (in French and German as well as English), grotesque has come to be used as a general adjective for the strange, mysterious, magnificent, fantastic, hideous, ugly, incongruous, unpleasant, or disgusting, and thus ...

s and stucco. The Staffieri Hall has frescoes by

Luigi Ademollo Luigi Ademollo (April 30, 1764 – February 11, 1849) was an Italian painter. Biography He was born in Milan. He studied at the Brera Academy, where he was taught by Giulio Traballesi, Giocondo Albertolli, and Giuseppe Piermarini. He left Milan i ...

Sources

* {{Coord, 43, 50, 29.14, N, 10, 30, 7.32, E, display=title, type:landmark_region:IT Buildings and structures completed in 1401 Houses completed in the 15th century Houses completed in 1578 Palaces in Lucca Renaissance architecture in Lucca Duchy of Lucca