Photos: Streit, Friedrich Wilhelm, 1772-1839 Fischer, Wilhelm, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain H005, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain Francesco Tosoni, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo credits
Photos: Streit, Friedrich Wilhelm, 1772-1839 Fischer, Wilhelm, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain H005, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain Francesco Tosoni, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
The tower that grows trees
Your local guide
Andrea Salvi
View profile
Highlights
- Oak trees growing from a rooftop
- A merchant family's tower of status
- Centuries of trees surviving the height
- A rare rooftop garden, explained
- History read from street level up
About this tour
This session looks at Torre Guinigi, one of the more unusual towers left in Italy, with holm oak trees still growing from its rooftop. You see the trees against the sky from below, and the tower's base where its merchant-family owners once lived. The camera moves between close detail and the full height of the tower.
We spend real time on the rooftop garden itself, since it is genuinely unusual and easy to underexplain. I tell the story of the Guinigi family as we move to the base, and take questions on how the trees actually survive up there.
It suits anyone drawn to unusual or surprising architectural details. It also pairs well with a session on the nearby clock tower.
Included
- Live video walk with a local guide
- Questions to your guide all the way
- A short list of places to visit later
Not included
- Internet connection
- Travel to the city
Itinerary
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Welcome and sound check 5 min
The guide joins the video call, checks the picture and sound with you, and gives you a quick sense of Lucca before heading out.
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Rooftop garden 21 min
The camera tilts up to Torre Guinigi's rooftop, where holm oak trees have grown directly out of the brick for centuries.
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Tower base 21 min
From street level, I explain how the tower belonged to a powerful merchant family who used it as a clear sign of their wealth and status.
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Your questions 9 min
Time to ask anything about Lucca: prices, safety, food, or whatever you are curious about.
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A short list to keep 4 min
Before you go, the guide sums up with a few things worth remembering: a dish to try: Necci (chestnut flour crepes) and Centro storico, worth a slower look.
Good to know
- A stable wifi or mobile connection makes the picture smoother than a shaky one.
- Any phone, tablet or laptop with a camera works. You watch, the guide does the walking.
- Times are shown in Rome time, so check the time where you are before you book.
- The session is not recorded, and recording it yourself is not allowed. Feel free to take your own notes.
- Ask questions any time, out loud or in the chat. The guide will pause to answer.
- Sessions run in small groups, up to 10 people, so there is room for everyone to ask something.
Questions about this tour
What will the session cover?
The guide walks through Lucca, showing you Rooftop garden and Tower base live on camera, plus whatever else you would like to see.
What happens if my connection drops?
Rejoin with the same link within a few minutes and the guide will catch you up on anything you missed.
Can I ask the guide questions during the session, or is it a fixed script?
Anything, any time. Sessions leave room for your own questions throughout, not just at the end.
Do I need to know the history already?
No background needed. The guide explains everything as it comes up.
How it works
- You get one join link after booking.
- Join from any device: phone, tablet or laptop.
- We meet on Google Meet; the link comes with your booking. I walk Lucca live with my phone.
Times shown in Rome time (CET)
Cancellation
Flexible
- Cancel up to 24 hours before the start: full refund.
- Cancel less than 24 hours before the start, or no-show: no refund.
- If the guide cancels or the date does not reach its minimum group: full refund.
- Cancel in My Account → Bookings; the refund is calculated from the start time in the tour's local time.
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Next: Wed 28 Oct · 10 seats left From 23,00 €
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