History

In the 13th century, the last of the Republic of Lucca, Lucca hosted university courses in logic, philosophy, ethics, surgery, anatomy, obstetrics, canonical institutions, and ius canonico (canon law), culminating in the establishment of the University of San Frediano in 1802.

Under the Duchy of Maria Luisa of Bourbon, in 1819, the Reale Liceo was born, granting scientific university degrees. In 1869 it was transformed into the Liceo Classico, thus interrupting the city's university tradition.

On November 18, 2005, the IMT School, established by Decree of the Ministry of University and Research, was born. A select international community of professors, researchers and students brought higher education back to the city, forming the original nucleus of a school that integrates cutting-edge teaching and research in an innovative perspective: that of inter- and multi-disciplinarity.

Like other Tuscan centres, Lucca thus has its own “university”: a Public University School for Higher Education and Research, and one of the seven with a special statute in our country. Along with it are Scuola Normale Superiore in Pisa, the oldest, founded by Napoleon in 1810; Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, also in Pisa; Sissa, Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati in Trieste; IUSS Scuola Universitaria Superiore Pavia; GSSI, Gran Sasso Science Institute in L'Aquila and Scuola Superiore Meridionale.

Today – and for nearly two decades (which it will complete on November 18, 2025) – the IMT School stands out for the scientific excellence and fresh approach of its doctoral programmes. Its interdisciplinary nature integrates methodologies from disciplines such as economics, engineering, computer science, applied mathematics, physics, cognitive and social neuroscience, political history, archaeology, art history and cultural heritage management.

A fervent international community at work on the campus distributed within Lucca's Renaissance city walls and, within them, in the striking architecture of the restored convent of San Francesco and – from 2023 – in the new residence in Via Brunero Paoli: a window onto the world, onto progress and onto the future.