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

Lucca Città di 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 of Lucca, province has a population of 383,9 ...

Tuscany Tuscany ( ; ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of 3,660,834 inhabitants as of 2025. The capital city is Florence. Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, artistic legacy, and its in ...

, central

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

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, was an List of Italian painters, Italian painter and architect from Florence during the Late Middle Ages. He worked during the International Gothic, Gothic and Italian Ren ...

. 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 (1432) was the 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 1389 ...

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 ( ), also known as the Risorgimento (; ), was the 19th century Political movement, political and social movement that in 1861 ended in the Proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy, annexation of List of historic states of ...

in 1861, when it was acquired by the

province of Lucca The province of Lucca () is a province in the Tuscany region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Lucca. It has an area of and a population of about 390,000. The province contains 33 ''comuni'' (: ''comune''). Geography Situated in northwester ...

Description

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

Bartolomeo Ammannati Bartolomeo Ammannati (18 June 1511 – 13 April 1592) was an Italian architect and sculptor, born at Settignano, near Florence, Italy. He studied under Baccio Bandinelli and Jacopo Sansovino (assisting on the design of the Library of St. Mark ...

'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 Juvarra (7 March 1678 – 31 January 1736) was an Italian architect, scenographer, engraver and goldsmith. He was active in a late-Baroque architecture style, working primarily in Italy, Spain, and Portugal. Biography Juvarra was born ...

. 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, work by

Augusto Passaglia Augusto Passaglia (1838 in Lucca – 1918 in Florence) was an Italian sculptor. As a young man, he was awarded a stipend to study in Florence under Giovanni Duprè, and was active there for the remainder of his life. Among his first works were a ...

. 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 () 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 surrounding countryside in th ...

, also designed by Ammannati and characterized by the use of rustication. In the past the interior hall, accessed through a monumental stair by Nottolini, housed the National Gallery of Lucca, moved to

Villa Guinigi The Museo Nazionale di Villa Guinigi is the main art museum hosting the pre-modern art collections owned by the city of Lucca, Italy. The museum is located in a refurbished villa on Via della Quarquonia, completed in 1418 for Paolo Guinigi, rul ...

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 ...

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