Basilica di San Michele in Foro
Stand in Piazza San Michele and the façade stops you before you've decided to look at it. Four stacked galleries of small loggias rise above a band of blind arcades, every column shaft carved from a different marble — twisted, inlaid, plain — and at the very top a four-metre Archangel Michael pins a dragon underfoot. On bright days a green glint comes off the statue; locals have long whispered about an emerald set inside, though no stone has ever been found.
The piazza itself was the Roman forum of Lucca, and the church has occupied this ground since at least 795. The steps around it are where the city still comes to eat gelato and watch the afternoon go by.
💛 What travellers fall for
People who return tend to arrive early, when the loggia light is raking and the piazza is quiet. Look for Matteo Civitali's Madonna salutis portus tucked at the lower right corner of the façade — easy to miss amid the larger drama above. Inside, Filippino Lippi's Four Saints panel rewards a slow look once your eyes adjust to the interior's cool dimness.
The story behind Basilica di San Michele in Foro
The church is first documented in 795, described as standing ad foro — on the forum — which is exactly where it still stands. After 1070 it was substantially rebuilt, reportedly at the instigation of Pope Alexander II. By the late twelfth century the three-nave structure with transept was largely in place; the tiered marble façade followed through the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, shaped in part by the workshop of Guidetto da Como and possibly by Diotisalvi, the architect behind Pisa's Baptistery.
For nearly three centuries the building doubled as civic space: until 1370 the Consiglio Maggiore, Lucca's governing assembly, met here. The bell tower, raised over the southern transept from the twelfth century, was later cut down by Giovanni dell'Agnello, Doge of Pisa, because its bells carried all the way to Pisa. A nineteenth-century restoration added faces of Risorgimento figures — Garibaldi, Cavour, Vittorio Emanuele — quietly inserted among the loggia columns by sculptor Giuseppe Pardini.
Good to know
The church is free to enter and about a fifteen-minute walk from Lucca station, or a short hop on the LAM Verde bus to the San Salvatore stop. Hours run daily 9:00–18:00, though posted times have been known to shift seasonally — check the door. A ramp beside the entrance staircase makes it wheelchair accessible.
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What travellers say about Basilica di San Michele in Foro
This historical landmark is incredible to behold. It is dedicated to St. Michael and is known for housing the famous Magrini Altarpiece by Lippi. The architecture is Romanesque, with an impressive level of fine detail both inside and out. The interior is more solemn compared to other churches I’ve visited, but just as intriguing, especially in the ornate carvings that reward a closer look.
The exterior architecture is very enjoyable to examine, with great detail and fine craftsmanship. The same cannot be said for the interior; it lacks any features that match what we saw on the outside, it's quite simple.
A solemn, but beautiful church, first built in 795ad and dedicated to St. Michael. It was again added/rebuilt in 1070ad. It contains the remains of St. Davino Armeno. My favorite painting is the Magrini Alterpiece (~1480) by Filippo Lippi (student of Sandro Botticelli)
We started the Palm Sunday procession here. It is very old and not decorated lavishly as other cathedrals on the inside.
After seeing it the second time, it is still just as cool as the first. It is leaning for sure and it is a beautiful building. Crazy to see the "adjustment" they made on the middle floors if you look close enough. Still hate the fact that nobody follows the rules about staying off grass and people standing inside the no go zone for their pictures. Everyone is more important than anyone else. And unless you live within walking distance leave your dog at home.
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