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The Gardens of Lucca: Tuscany's Switzerland by Andrea Battaglini The region of Lucca, Oscar-winning film director Gabriele Salvatores’ promised land, is an enchanting cloak of green studded with splendid historical gardens.
"The Luccan hillsides are a constellation of historical gardens and Roman churches of such unexpected harmony, it is the one place I can truly escape; even on-location far away, I never quite lose sight of the hills", says film director Gabriele Salvatores (Mediterraneo and, recently, Nirvana) who spends much of his free time in Lucca. Around Lucca, swimming in the green sea of the Pizzorne plateau, are many
The villas, being only a few kilometers from one another, could be visited by bicycle in the course of a full day or a weekend. They are privately owned, but the gardens are open to the public. Rooms at Villa Mansi are rented out for special occasions, and are suited to conferences as well. Garden visiting hours:
Tel.: 0583-30108 Hours: 11:00-18:00 with a guided tour each hour. (only 6 Km away from Villa Reale) Tel: 0583-928008 Hours: 10:-12:00 and 15:-18:00> Hours: 9:-13:00 and 15:-18:00 Hours: every day from 9:00-19:30.
At the foot of the hills, set amongst the historic gardens, is the Hotel Principessa Elisa (MASSA PISANA, Tel.:0583-379737, fax 0583-379019). The hotel is housed in an elegant, mauve-colored villa with red awnings, marble fireplaces, canopy beds and 18th-century furnishings. Its 2 rooms and 8 suites are gently bathed in soft sunlight. It is expensive, but truly well worth it! 
 The garden around the Villa Garzoni at Collodi set atop the slanting backbone of a hill like a velvety green ruff, reveals especially well the steep, irregular nature of the terrain and the closed mignon structure typical of the first Renaissance: baroque is, however, the landscaping based on greens, sculpted hedges in the shapes of animals and cleverly designed fountains.
 Redesigned by Filippo Juvara of Messina, the Villa Mansi garden presents a remarkable display of scenic effects against a background of visual effect consistent with the character of formal English country parks.
 The Villa Torrigiani is a exultant harmony of architecture with the natural environment, utilizing one of the most attractive attributes of all the Luccan villas: the "boulevard" of a double row of cypresses heralding the villa’s two-tone facade adorned with statues and balustrades. The garden prepares the way for the magnificent surprises, possibly designed by Le Notre (the architect of Louis XV): a small garden enclosed by aviary netting, an enchanted green hall lined by tall lime trees and cedars of Lebanon, hiding apses and minute grottos of varied shapes, statues and fountains, fish ponds and flowers of every hue. There are camellias of red, pink and white, tulips and even a few remaining antique rose bushes.
 The 17th-century part of the Villa Reale at Marlia, now known as Pecci-Blunt is the crown of the Luccan itinerary. The masterpiece of the garden is the outdoor theater, which provided the venue for the first Italian production of Racine’s "Phaedra". It is protected by a wrought-iron gate which opens into the cozy green "foyer", sculpted by hedges and greenery with a spurting fountain at its center.
The theater itself, once so dear to the brilliant Paganini who delighted the ladies of the court with his violin, comes into view. Constructed in 1642, it is 24 meters deep with a backdrop provided by yews some 5 meters high. The suggestion box has been modeled out of hedges, as well as the hoods for lighting fixtures and the orchestra pit’s raised podium. This is truly quite a special sight, a jewel of a former era.
The sound of churchbells echoes among the villas eminating from the many small but splendid parish churches such as Bràncoli at Borgo a Mozzano and S.Bartolomeo at Collodi. |
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splendid villas surrounded by ancient gardens which spring to life anew each year in all their colorful glory and heady fragrances. Most are a few kilometers apart from one another in the area which lies to the east of the Serchio river, along the state highway leading from Lucca to Pescia, although they are easily accessible by several routes. Optical delights? Interesting examples of Baroque styling, sunny citrus gardens, fish ponds of unique shape and the decorative garlands of greenery which festoon the villas. These images recall the ars topiaria (the art of the decorative garden) of the 17th and 18th centuries, when gardens were separated form the surrounding countryside by walls and hedges and the gardens faced north, so as to be enjoyed from inside the villa. Many of the structured gardens of the renaissance period have disappeared, with the exception of