Piazza dell'Anfiteatro, Lucca

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Back when Lucca was a Roman colony, an amphitheatre capable of welcoming 10,000 spectators stood where this elliptical piazza now stands. In the Middle Ages, the city sort of grew around the Amphitheatre so that now that it's gone, we are left with a series of houses that have almost perfectly preserved its shape. It makes for a very unique piazza - in fact, there are four doors through which you can reach the piazza, and these are the same doors that once allowed gladiators to walk into the amphitheatre! The Piazza Anfiteatro is now mostly home to souvenir shops, cafes and restaurants, and there always seems to be a lively atmosphere as visitors eventually converge towards the piazza after a nice day of sightseeing. Its sunny terraces are practically impossible to resist!

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On this spot there was a Roman amphitheater, built in the 2nd century AD, used for spectacles for four centuries, until the 6th century. Then the building began to alter, ending as building material for other houses. The terrain was raised and houses had been built leaving an interior oval of the shape of the old amphitheater. Along the northwest perimeter you can still see a small part of the amphitheater. Today, in the plazza you can have a rest and eat - not the best food though - and I was suprised when I ordered ollio piccante for my pizza and found that they have only regular olive oil, which I had to content with.

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This is a real neat area to relax and enjoy the confines of the buildings. There are vendors in the shops on street level, but not overbearing. The merchandise they sell is of higher quality than in other areas. I liked the open feeling and the trattories to be able eat at. What is no longer here is the real amphitheater, when the square was actually used for events by the Romans. It declined and the buildings were eventually constructed around it, leaving a circular shape that exists today. The amphitheater was torn down in time.

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The Piazza dell´Anfiteatro is also known as Piazza del Mercato and is one of the most famous places in Lucca. This "piazza" (square) keeps its old oval shape typical of the amphitheaters in the Roman times.

The piazza deserves a visit not only inside the place itself but also outside and around it. The differences between the buildings make this place to be so beautiful in discovering the traces of the old structures and materials.

Inside the Piazza there are located some restaurants (and terraces) and some local shops. Also the piazza is used to open markets as for example happened to us when we were there to celebrate the local festivity of S. Zita and its Flower market.

Piazza Anfiteatro is really a wonder, born on the ruins of the old Romans' anphitheater. After a partial destruction during barbaric invasions, the anphiteather became useless until 1830, when, thanks to the idea of the architect Lorenzo Nottolini, it turned to the present square came. I think is really unique in the world.

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Former a Roman anphitheater, now Piazza dell'Anfiteatro (or del Mercato) it's one of the most famous place in Lucca.

There are a couple of neat shops within the pizza if you are looking for wine or ceramics. I was told it was hard to find local Lucca wine, but I saw it many places.

Roman Lucca was founded in 180 BC, and stones from the ancient Roman amphitheatre have been ransacked over the centuries to build churches and palaces, leaving only a handful of original fragments studded into today's arena-shaped Piazza del Mercato. Slum housing clogged the piazza until 1830, when it was cleared on the orders of Marie Louise, the city's Bourbon ruler at that time. It was then that the amphitheatre's original shape was revealed. Low archways at the piazza's cardinal points mark the gates through which beasts and gladiators would once have entered the arena.

Former a Roman anphitheater, now Piazza dell'Anfiteatro (or del Mercato) it's one of the most famous place in Lucca.
This "piazza" mantains its old oval shape typical of the anphitheaters in roman's age, because the houses that have been built lay on the ancient basement.
Walking on the external ring of the anphitheater it is possible to see some trace of the oldest structure.
During the Middle Ages the anphitheater has been pillaged of its marbles and the interior has been filled with low wodden houses.
In 19th centrury a famous architect of Lucca, Lorenzo Nottolini, created the "piazza" as you can see in present days allocating it to one of the city markets (in fact it is also called Piazza del Mercato).
Now it has function of market only in the month of December, the rest of the year it's a very beautiful round with a lot of nice shops and cafes with tables outside. In July it is possible to find some concert in.
In spring it's wonderful to see the all houses around adorned with florid plants of red geranium.