Piazza Napoleone

Piazza Napoleone, also called Piazza Grande (owing to its dimensions) has been recently repaved and has taken a new appearance with the fitting up of modern lightings and a kind of enclosure around the central monument, depicting Maria Luisa di Borbone together with a Genius, which was built by Lorenzo Bartolini in 1843.

At the beginning, in the middle of the square, there was a monument dedicated to Napoleon.
It was Maria Luisa herself, who let Piazza Napoleone to be built: the Church of San Pietro Maggiore, the Church of S. Dalmazio, the prisons of Sasso, a palace and its tower, houses and shops were demolished to allow its construction, which was finished in 1806 by Lazzarini and the French architect Bienaimé.
On the southern side of the square there is the building of the Art School "Passaglia" as well as on the western side we find Palazzo Ducale (the Ducal Palace) recently restored.

This is currently the seat of the administration body of Lucca's district (the owner of the building since 1866) and of the prefecture. The palace was built on the area of the castle inside the Ghibelline fortress (called "Augusta"), which Castruccio of the Antelminelli family commissioned to Giotto in 1322.

The palace belonged first to the Guinigi family and then to the town government and after the explosion of the powder magazine in 1539 (caused by a lightning), Vincenzo Civitali was appointed to restore the damaged part of the building. Coming in the courtyard of Palazzo Ducale through the main entrance and turning on the left, we find the Cortile degli Svizzeri (the Room of the Swiss), which is called this way because once it was the dormitory of the Republic Swiss Guards. In the courtyard, over the exit door in front of the Church of S. Romano, there is an inscription depicting the "Freedom" (today illegible), which was made by Pietro Testa.