Walking along the raised walls of the medieval city, it seems more like a park than fortifications. Runners jog past and children play on the grassy knolls. I look out toward the villas and palaces of Lucca city center, with occasional towers rising upward. The entrance beneath the wall is one of the most grandiose I’ve seen, with a portcullis and murals along the ceiling. I step through to travel to the medieval towers myself.

Most of the towers are attached to churches. I walk past the city center, flea markets selling all sorts of bizarre household collectibles. Only in Italy would you find a stall selling what looks like renaissance statues. The church of San Michele in Foro has a beautiful facade, one of the most intricate I’ve seen and unlike the others. Though quite plain inside, it has nice art exhibitions and some ancient seals.

While seemingly more modern than Sienna, there are many medieval architectural elements that are well preserved, as in Florence.

There used to be hundreds of such towers, but only one remains preserved. The tower of Gugliani, unlike the other towers, has something different: a green roof. With trees sprouting out the top like hair, the symbolic oaks give the structure an other-worldly appearance.

At the top the trees seem quite small, but the city looms large and all the individual buildings can be spotted. The marble cliffs lay beyond; its quite a beautiful place for a picnic lunch.

I descend towards the amphitheater, formerly of Roman origin, that is now a plaza in the same oval shape. With the curvature of the buildings and the cream colors, it does seem like a performance space. Old friends are reunited, others meeting for the first time. While it is easy to hide in the many twisting and turning alleyways of Lucca, coming in and out of these entrances feels like entering a place where all is on display.

I walk along the rim of the walls a bit. 4km around, I am surprised when I start to recognize joggers taking several laps. I venture back through the cloisters of San Frediano to the central touristic route, which I follow past countless palaces and villas, many open to visitors. There are some other interesting city gates, some with large columns and murals, but none impress as much as the first one.

There is a lot of green space around, and the city walls seems like one giant park. I even follow along some canals built in the middle of the streets to return to the city center. The main cathedral has some detailed carvings and columns and has a central tower of its own. However I still have some of the city to see, and the sun is setting fast.

I check out the Ducal palace, currently a government building and museum, and cross to another main city entrance. The streets are getting busier for Saturday night, and I start to get claustrophobic on the main drag. Electric violinists and street performers, along with Christmas caroling, make for a unique atmosphere, though the lights are beautiful.