Lucca, Tuscany, Italy by T. E. Smith-Lamothe

Canon G7

Lucca is a medieval walled town in western Tuscany. This panorama was taken from the famous tower "Torre Guinigi". It is remarkable in that several oak trees grow from its top (you can see some leaves of one in the corner of the panorama, a unique feature in Tuscany, where hilltop villages with treeless towers are the norm). Visible at the centre of the photo is the elliptical arrangement of buildings which mark the Piazza del Anfiteatro. During Roman times, Lucca was the largest city in Tuscany and had a small-scale Colosseum-like arena for gladiators to entertain the crowds. The buildings of today, ancient in themselves, follow the outline of the old arena and arches and stonework of the original arena form part of the streetscape at pedestrian level. The massive brick walls which surround Lucca have a wide top which has enough room for a tree-lined bike and pedestrian walkway, offering great views of the old city within the walls and the new town beyond them. The huge trees atop this wide wall are visible as a band of dark green at the edge of the old town in this panorama.