Skip menu

Villa Reale in Marlia

Overview

The gardens of Villa Reale in Marlia, an enchantment between art and nature

The park of the Villa Reale in Marlia, near Lucca, is among the most beautiful in Tuscany and Italy, an enchanting place, once exclusive to the aristocracy, for a day of art and nature, strolling through the greenery among fascinating architecture, or organising a pleasant picnic in the open air.  

It covers 16 hectares. The gardens are partly of 17th-century design, on a terrace, with hedges, flower beds and tall trees, partly with "English-style" landscape, famous for its "living collection" of camellias. 

Inside the Park, you will find: the luxurious Villa Reale, used as a fortress by the Duke of Tuscia, with its majestic Water Theatre; the Villa del Vescovo, built in the 16th century on the ruins of an ancient medieval castle, and the 19th-century Orthodox Chapel of San Biagio; the Palazzine Gemelle by architect Giovanni Lazzarini, at the Park’s entrance; the characteristic 18th-century Palazzina dell'Orologio with six-hour clock; and the Chapel of San Francesco Saverio.

     

The story of a camellia-scented "Napoleonic dream"

The history of this wonderful villa dates back to the early Middle Ages, it prospered as a stately residence during the Renaissance and was significantly transformed during the Napoleonic period. 

The complex was purchased in 1806 by Napoleon's sister, Princess Elisa Bonaparte Baciocchi, who had the park enlarged and redesigned according to English-style, one of the few in Italy, enriching it with new plant species, such as the famous camellias. Testifying to the lively court life at that time is the passage of the great musician Niccolò Paganini, who presented the premiere of Racine's "Phaedra" here in the Verzura theatre. 

When the Principality of Lucca became a Duchy, the villa passed to the Bourbon dynasty, and continued to be used as a summer residence. In the Italian Kingdom, it belonged to King Vittorio Emanuele II and, after some troubles, was bought by the Pecci Blunt Counts, in 1923, who restored it by adding new elements in an eclectic style, assigning the renovation of the park to an established French architect, Jacques Greber, who created streams, woods, a lake and other landscape elements that we can still appreciate today. Among the innovations presented by Greber is the Spanish Art Deco garden, distinguished by its geometric shapes, water fountains and the flowering of hibiscus, rose creepers, hypericum.

Over the past few years, the complex of the Villa Reale in Marlia has been the subject of an extensive restoration project by its current owners, allowing it to reopen to the public in 2019.

 

Pan's grotto

In the oldest part of the garden is Pan's grotto, a nymphaeum constructed between 1570 and 1580, dedicated to the deity of shepherds and the countryside. Its exterior is characterised by wide arches, beyond which one enters a cave-like environment decorated with masks and niches. The work is credited to Bernardo Buontalenti, the same artist who created the grotto in Florence’s Boboli Gardens.

  

The Gardens, with the old Verzura Theatre, the avenue of camellias, the lake, the heated pool

Built between 1666 and 1670, Verzura Theatre at the Villa Reale in Marlia is the oldest in Europe, an extraordinary testimony to the style of the time to provide gardens with natural open-air theatres carved into the vegetation. The stage is a meadow, the wings are tall yew hedges embellished with terracotta statues representing characters from the commedia dell'arte. In this place of pleasure, maestro Niccolò Paganini played his violin for Élisa Bonaparte, and plays and concerts are still held here today.

The first camellias at the Villa Reale in Marlia, considered exotic plants at the time, were brought from the Royal Palace of Caserta on the orders of Elisa Bonaparte for her brother Joseph, then on the throne of Naples. Thanks to the princess, today camellias are a characteristic feature of this magnificent place and welcome visitors as if in a "dream".

To the architect Greber, on the other hand, we owe the 1920s lake, which today is one of the most important landscape elements of the park, as well as a valuable structure for proper irrigation. In the heated Pool, very modern for its time, early 20th century AD, along with the tennis, bocce and croquet courts, many excellent guests of the Pecci Blunt family, such as the artist Salvador Dali and the writer Alberto Moravia, have spent time here.

 

The olfactory trail, for a sensory journey through time and the seasons

Guests at the Villa Reale in Marlia are greeted in a unique and extraordinary experience of an "immersive" connection with nature and art. Visits include a wonderful olfactory trail, providing an unmissable sensory experience of the park's exceptional botanical biodiversity. 

Many different essences accompany guests on a journey through time in every season, scents of camellias, magnolias and mimosas, wisteria and hibiscus, linden, sycamore and weeping willow, to experience the emotions that Princess Elisa Bonaparte and the park's many notable guests also experienced.

Villa Reale in Marlia

Via Fraga Alta, 2, 55014 Marlia LU, Italia

Call +39058330108 Website

Related articles

Art and culture
Cities of art, beautiful landscapes and good food: Tuscany is every tourist's dream destination

Cities of art, beautiful landscapes and good food: Tuscany is every tourist's dream destination

Sport
memorable tuscan trekking

Tuscany: memorable hiking trails

Cultural cities
Lucca and the embrace of its mighty walls

Lucca and the embrace of its mighty walls

Spirituality
The Via Francigena in Tuscany: where time seems to have stopped

The Via Francigena in Tuscany: where time seems to have stopped

Food and wine
PDO and PGI specialities of Tuscany

PDO and PGI specialities of Tuscany

Museums and monuments
Parks and gardens in Florence

Parks and gardens in Florence

Cycling tourism
Photo by Alice Russolo

Tuscany with a view: cycling routes amidst breathtaking panoramas

Cycling tourism
1279305212

On the saddle along Versilia: Camaiore, Pietrasanta, Forte dei Marmi and surroundings

Relax and wellness
Siena Province and its Terme

Siena Province and its Terme

Cycling tourism
1283368449

Cycling in the land of the Etruscans: from Camaiore to Val di Merse, with a stop in Volterra

Sea
Cala Violina

Cala Violina, the “sound beach” in the heart of the Maremma

Food and wine
tuscan appetite comes with travelling

In Tuscany, food and travelling go hand in hand

Cycling tourism
1600X1000_sterrati_strade_bianche_cardina_1.jpg

Amidst medieval villages and enchanted hills: cycling along the gravel roads of the Strade Bianche

Food and wine
Tuscany: discovering 4 design wineries

Tuscany: discovering 4 design wineries

Spirituality
In Tuscany, in search of the floor of Siena Cathedral

In Tuscany, in search of the floor of Siena Cathedral

Food and wine
Brunello di Montalcino DOCG

Brunello di Montalcino DOCG

Spirituality
A weekend in Val d'Orcia: 10 unmissable churches and monasteries

A weekend in Val d'Orcia: 10 unmissable churches and monasteries

Handcrafts and design
Crafts in Oltrarno: an itinerary through the most authentic Florence

Crafts in Oltrarno: an itinerary through the most authentic Florence

Relax and wellness
1257611655

Saturnia and its Terme

Art and culture
Dostoevsky in Florence: itineraries, places and books

Dostoevsky in Florence: itineraries, places and books

Ops! An error occurred while sharing your content. Please accept profiling cookies to share the page.