LUCCA, Italy, the capital of the province of Lucca, and former capital of the ancient Tuscan republic and duchy of Lncca at the base of the Apennines, near the left bank of the Serchio, 37 miles by rail northwest of Florence, and 26 miles from the Mediterranean. En circled by walls flanked with bastions, it stands in a fertile plain surrounded by the Apennines, and has a striking appearance. It is entered by four gates and is well built. Lucca is an archiepiscopal see, and the seat of several im portant courts and public offices. It contains numerous antiquities; one of the most interest ing is the fish-market, the large oval of which is the Roman amphitheatre; while the buildings around it, though converted into modern dwell ings, are in a great measure composed of the ruins of the amphitheatre, and exhibit huge solid arches, and masses of brick and stone, on their original sites. The principal edifices are the Duomo, or cathedral (begun 1204), with a magnificent facade, a Romanesque portico, stained glass of the richest kind and a famous life-size crucifix, carved, according to legend, by Nicodemus, and which is only exhibited four times a year; the church of San Michele (8th century), an ancient and imposing structure; the church of San Frediano, founded in 686, furnishing an interesting specimen of early Christian architecture, and adorned with fine mosaics, frescoes, and paintings; the ducal palace; academies of science; public library with over 220,000 volumes; the Palazzo Borghi, now converted into a poor-house; and an aque duct, carried from a distance into the city over 459 arches. The manufactures consist chiefly
of silk goods; and •there are numerous silk mills; near by are extensive jute mills. The trade is almost confined to the above articles of manufacture, agricultural produce and olive oil, particularly the latter, which bears a high name, and is largely exported.
First an Etruscan, then a Ligurian, town Lucca 177 nc., became a Roman colony. It be came a episcopal see in 347. It followed the varied fortunes of northern Italy until about 1115 it was made the seat of a republic. In 1320 it fell under the dominion of Castrucci° Castracani, who became Duke of Lucca, and after his death Lucca was sold to Florence. It purchased its liberty from Charles IV in 1369, and maintained its independence until the French occupation in 1799. In 1814 the Con press of Vienna recreated it a duchy. In 1847 it was reunited to Tuscany, and it became part of the kingdom of Italy in 1860. Pop. about 76,160.
The Bagni di Lucca, situated north of the city in the valley of the Lima, a tributary of the Serchio„ is celebrated for its warm springs and baths, with temperatures ranging from to F.
Consult Del Carlo, 'Scoria nopolare di Lucca' (2 vols. Lucca 1877) ; and Ross and Erichsen, 'The Story of Lucca) (in 'Medieval Town Series,' New York 1912).