Visiting Lucca’s Duomo will soon come with a small price tag. The famous church is a standard stop on the typical Lucca itinerary, housing relics and sacred objects including the Volto Santo and the tomb of Ilaria Del Carretto. The fee is required of tourists only. Residents of the province and participants in worship services will not be asked to pay.
The cathedral’s board acts as an autonomous body, unlike those of other churches in Lucca. The board made the decision after much study and debate, and the new fee will be implemented from Friday, March 14.
This change was prompted by a demonstrated need to safeguard the religious and historic treasures of Lucca’s large diocese, which includes 362 other parishes. Current resources are no longer adequate, even though the diocese utilizes the ‘8 per mille’ (voluntary donations on tax forms), which totals approximately 350 thousand euro. The rest of the required funds have come entirely from the offerings of worshippers, which are substantial but not sufficient.
The diocese and the cathedral emphasize that this change should not be seen as an ‘entrance ticket,’ but as a request for assistance with regular maintenance of both San Martino and other churches.
Detailed costs: 3 euro: Cathedral and sacristy
7 euro: Combined ticket for cathedral and sacristy; museum; church of San Giovanni; archaeological sites and bell tower
5 euro: Combined ticket for cathedral and museum or cathedral and church of San Giovanni
20 euro: Families of up to five people; grants access to all spaces
Free entry for children up to age 14 accompanied by parents
2 euro discount per head for groups of 15+
