The oaks on top of the Torre Guinigi

Lucca once had well over a hundred family towers; nine survive, and only one has trees growing out of the top. The Guinigi family planted holm oaks in a roof garden in the fifteenth century, and their descendants are still there — real trees with real shade, forty-four metres above the street.

It is a genuinely unusual backdrop: red terracotta rooftops in every direction, the ring of green walls beyond them, the marble facades of the churches poking through, and in the frame with your subjects a set of gnarled trunks that has no business being at that height. The roof is small, which forces close, intimate framing rather than wide panoramas — and that suits couples.

Access is by ticket, up two hundred and thirty steps of stone and metal stairs, so check opening times and allow for the climb. Late afternoon is the best light and also the busiest slot; the terrace holds perhaps twenty people, so an early opening visit is far more comfortable. There is no lift and the last flights are steep, which is worth saying out loud before booking a family with small children or grandparents.