The Royal Villa Marlia in Lucca
The Villa Reale in Marlia is one of the most beautiful villas of the territory of Lucca. The villa is located in Capannori, a municipality in the province of Lucca. The park is open from March to November with a ticket and a guide who will accompany the tourists to discover the beauty of this property.
The name Marlia probably derives from the name Marly, a villa in Paris from the period of Louis XIV. The villa is called royal since Elisa Baiocchi, Napoleon's sister, lived here. The original design of the villa dates back to the seventeenth century, but already in the ninth century there was a fortress here. In 1651 the family Buonvisi, because of a financial failure, is forced to sell the property to the Orsetti and Olivieri families. The two families decided to redo the house and create a beautiful garden in Baroque style. Also in the seventeenth century the clockhouse that characterizes this villa was built. A gate separated the garden from the house and there were fountains in the garden with statues and symmetrical pools.
Elisa Bonaparte Baciocchi fell in love with the house and wanted to buy from the Orsetti family. After lengthy negotiations and a large payment of money, in 1806, Elisa became the new owner. She brought many changes and modifications to the villa and garden. She also bought the neighboring property , Villa del Vescovo , and created one large property for her Villa Marlia. The architects Giovanni Lazzarini and Pierre- Theodore Bienaimè transformed the villa in neo-classical style and built a porch at the rear of the villa. Stefano Tofanelli was called to decorated the great hall of the ground floor . The park in the Baroque style was partially destroyed , leaving room for a garden and rare plants arrive from the Botanical Garden of Naples. The Cave of Pan with nymph and the theater with terracotta statues of the main characters of the play of Italian art, Pulcinella , Colombina , Pantalone remained in the garden. Deers, merino sheeps and goats were brought to a part of the park near the woods.
Paganini and Metternich are just some of the distinguished guests invited by Elisa at the villa. When she was forced to go away, Maria Luisa di Borbone took the villa and she made further alterations. Maria Luisa built a Kaffehaus and an astronomical observatory, which remained unfinished. The property passed to the Pecci-Blunt.
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A selection of our most requested villas in the area:
Holiday villa a few kilometres from the beaches of Versilia and from Lucca. Sleeps 12/13, swimming pool, garden, hydromassage. Riding stables and tennis courts nearby.
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