Lucca
Lucca's origins can be traced back to the Etruscan age;
however, no traces remain from those times. It is known
for certain that the plain of Lucca was in a position
where the Etruscan and the Ligurian civilisations met. The
word Luk in the ancient celtic-ligurian language signified
"place surrounded by waters". The first
inhabitants of Luk were the Celts who on the banks of the
river Serchio founded a village which continued to grow
until captured by the Etruscans who in turn inhabited the
city for the next 200 years. In 180 BC Luk became a Roman
Dominion named Luca. The Romans transformed the settlement
into a fortified city closed in by a surrounding wall of
almost two kilometres long. This wall was built using
blocks of stone that still exist in the interior of the
Della Rosa Church.
The territory of the
plain of Lucca consists of a wide flat area bounded on
three sides by ranges of hills, and on the fourth by the
bed of what , before the land was reclaimed, used to be
the Lake of Bientina. Lucca is a logisitical hub where
great roads meet. The Strade Statali of the Abetone, the
433 Sarzanese, the 435 Pesciatina, the Firenze-Sea
autostrada and the Viareggio link joining up with the
Genoa-Pisa-Livorno autostrada. It is thus relatively easy
to travel swiftly around the main localities of the
province, which include the municipalities of Capannori,
Altopascio, Porcari, Montecarlo and Villa Basilica. Most
of the towns and villages in the region are of mediaeval
origins, with numerous archaeological sites of the Roman
era. The main economic activities of the area are the
production of wine and olive oil , paper making, and
textile and shoe manufacture. Floriculture (dried flowers),
quarrying, and dairy products are also important.
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