Inside the Cathedral of San Martino, we find the funeral monument to Ilaria del Carretto, kept in the sacristy. We can only say that it is a work of moving beauty. It bears the signature of Jacopo della Quercia and, even if it does not house her remains, which rest elsewhere, it depicts the young wife of Paolo Guinigi, lord of Lucca in the early fifteenth century, with her faithful little dog at her feet. It is said that once upon a time young girls kissed Ilaria’s nose in the hope of marrying soon, or caressed her face to ensure an uncomplicated birth… But now the statue is absolutely forbidden to be touched.
