San Frediano — A Medieval City Expands Beyond Its Roman Box
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Transcript
San Frediano helps explain how Lucca outgrew its Roman footprint. Medieval expansion pushed settlement beyond the ancient wall, and later fortifications enlarged the protected city to include churches, houses and workshops around this northern district.
Via Fillungo became the main route through the expanded town, showing how an old Roman axis could remain useful even as the perimeter moved.
The basilica itself accumulated medieval and later patronage, while the surrounding street pattern records physical growth. Lucca’s famous Renaissance wall was not the first defensive enclosure; it was the latest answer to a recurring urban problem.