Seven evergreen holm oak or ilex trees, symbolizing rebirth, grow from the public roof garden of the 14th century Torre Guinigi or Torre Alberata, the m (145 ft) bell tower beside Palazzo Guinigi, once the home of the powerful mercantile Guinigi family that once ruled Lucca, Tuscany, Italy. The garden, reached by climbing c. 240 steps in 25 flights, offers superb views over the historic city as well as Apuan Alps, the Apennines and Monte Pisano.
Lucca, Tuscany, Italy: seven evergreen holm oak, holly oak or ilex trees (Quercus ilex), symbolizing rebirth, sprout from the small public roof garden of the Torre Guinigi, the striking bell tower beside Palazzo Guinigi, a late-14th Century palace built for the powerful family of silk merchants and bankers that ruled Lucca. The Torre Guinigi or Torre Alberata was built in red brick and stone in a blend of Romanesque and Gothic architectural styles in the late 1300s, when many leading local families built towers within the city walls as symbols of their wealth and status. It is now the only tower not to have been demolished or lowered in the 16th century. The structure, donated with the family palace to the municipality of Lucca by the last Guinigi descendant, rises metres (145 ft) into the sky from the corner of Via Sant’Andrea and Via delle Chiavi d’oro. Reaching the hanging garden on the roof involves climbing around 240 steps in 25 flights, but visitors willing to endure the climb are rewarded by superb views over the historic centre of Lucca, as well as the Apuan Alps to the northwest, the Apennines to the northeast and Monte Pisano to the south. It is not known when the garden was created, but an image in the Chronicles of writer Giovanni Sercambi (1348-1424) does show one of Lucca’s many towers crowned with trees. The holm oaks have been replanted over the centuries. The rooftop used to serve as a kitchen garden, with the kitchen on the floor below.
Size: 2467px × 3700px
Location: Torre Guinigi, Lucca, Tuscany, Italy
Photo credit: © Terence Kerr / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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