La Cavallerizza

Lucca


Abandoned for decades, this grandiose building was built as stables in 1876 for the adjoining 'Prato del Marchese' – the nickname given to today's Piazzale Verdi where equestrian displays, shows and other forms of entertainment took place in the 19th century. Recently restored and renovated, former stables now host exciting exhibitions and cultural events, opening in 2018–19 with the brilliant Museo della Follia – an itinerant 'Museum of Madness' exploring the notion of madness and its effect on creativity through art and history.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Lucca attractions

1. Museo Nazionale di Palazzo Mansi

0.13 MILES

This 16th-century mansion built for a wealthy Luccan merchant is a wonderful piece of rococo excess. The private apartments are draped head to toe in…

2. Puccini Museum

0.25 MILES

The great Giacomo Puccini, who came from a long line of Lucchesi musicians, was born in Lucca and grew up in an apartment at Corte San Lorenzo 9, today a…

3. Chiesa di San Michele in Foro

0.32 MILES

One of Lucca's many architecturally significant churches, this glittering Romanesque edifice marks the spot where the city's Roman forum was. The present…

4. Palazzo Pfanner

0.34 MILES

Fire the romantic in you with a stroll around this beautiful 17th-century palace where parts of Portrait of a Lady (1996), starring Nicole Kidman and John…

5. City Wall

0.34 MILES

Lucca’s monumental mura (wall) was built around the old city in the 16th and 17th centuries and remains in almost perfect condition. It superseded two…

6. Torre del'Ore

0.38 MILES

Legend has it that Lucca's 13th-century clock tower – at 50m tall, the highest of the city's 130 medieval towers – is inhabited by the ghost of Lucida…

8. Museo della Cattedrale

0.48 MILES

The cathedral museum safeguards elaborate gold and silver decorations made for the cathedral's Volto Santo, including a 17th-century crown and a 19th…