Back when Lucca was a Roman colony, an amphitheatre capable of welcoming 10,000 spectators stood where this elliptical piazza now stands. In the Middle Ages, the city sort of grew around the Amphitheatre so that now that it's gone, we are left with a series of houses that have almost perfectly preserved its shape.

It makes for a very unique piazza - in fact, there are four doors through which you can reach the piazza, and these are the same doors that once allowed gladiators to walk into the amphitheatre!
The Piazza Anfiteatro is now mostly home to souvenir shops, cafes and restaurants, and there always seems to be a lively atmosphere as visitors eventually converge towards the piazza after a nice day of sightseeing. Its sunny terraces are practically impossible to resist!