Lucca Comics & Games brings exhibitions to the Guinigi Tower for the first time

For the first time in its history, Lucca Comics & Games will bring its exhibitions to one of the city’s most iconic landmarks — the medieval Guinigi Tower. The festival, running from October 29 to November 2, with exhibitions open until December 2, will turn the tower’s lemon house into the temporary studio of French illustrator Rébecca Dautremer, author of this year’s official poster and the creative voice behind the 2025 theme French Kiss.

During the festival, Dautremer will be artist-in-residence at Palazzo Guinigi, working in front of visitors and offering an inside look at her creative process. Lucca Crea, the organizing body of the festival, will also help restore some of the historic rooms, which will host future exhibitions even after the event ends.

Two renovated halls on the first floor will remain open year-round, with one featuring a “welcome area” where visitors can relax, read, and browse books linked to Lucca Comics & Games. Admission to the exhibitions will be free until October 28 and reserved for festival ticket-holders from October 29 to November 2.

The initiative marks a symbolic encounter between the city’s cultural heritage and contemporary creativity. The Guinigi Tower, a 15th-century residence built by Paolo Guinigi, is instantly recognizable for the cluster of holm oaks that crown its summit — one of the most photographed images of Lucca and a symbol of its identity.

This year’s festival, which pays tribute to France as the homeland of the bande dessinée, promises to be the most international edition yet, with over 90 publishers, artists from five continents, and a program that spans comics, games, video games, fantasy literature, music, cosplay, and digital arts. Among the highlights are appearances by Death Stranding creator Hideo Kojima, horror visionary Keiichirō Toyama, and Italian artist Caparezza, who will present his new album and accompanying comic Orbit Orbit.

As the city’s walls, palaces, and squares transform once again into a vast open-air stage for pop culture, the addition of the Guinigi Tower signals a new chapter for Lucca Comics & Games — one where the festival and the city’s own monuments become part of the same creative story.

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