Villa Reale In Italy

The villas of Tuscany, like precious stones, are scattered over its hills. There are a lot of them, well-known and not so, small and large, very old and relatively recent construction, of different styles, degree of preservation and well-groomed. Each of them is unique and has its own face.

Villa Reale. View of the royal villa

Villa Reale di Marlia is located near the old town of Lucca in the village of Marlia. In order to get there, you can stop in Pisa or Luca and rent a car there. The cost of visiting is very expensive by our standards - 15 euros. In general, if you plan to visit such objects, as they say, prepare money. Most of the villas are private, and the owners decide for themselves what the opening hours are, how much the entrance costs, and, in general, whether everyone should be allowed in.

To understand what to look for in Villa Reale, you should look at history. The villa has existed for a long time, from the times of the Renaissance blessed for the culture of Italy. Owners and royal dynasties changed, the borders of European states changed. Accordingly, the villa also changed owners and rebuilt many times. What can be seen now belongs to the 19th century.

Villa Reale

Initially, it was an estate with a fortress, which was owned first by the family of the Duke of Tushia, then by the Avvokati family, and then bought out by the noble family of bankers and merchants Buonvizi, and from a fortress the villa turned into a palazzo. But, as we say here, “they don’t renounce the sum,” and the bankrupt family put up for sale, among other properties, Villa in Marliya.

In 1651, the villa was acquired by the inhabitants of Lucca, Signors Olivieri and Lelio Orsetti, who, in accordance with the fashion of that time, decorated the villa and the park in the Baroque style, there were gardens with numerous ponds, paths, bosquets and other attributes of the Baroque garden.

At the beginning of the 18th century, Napoleon Bonaparte began his triumphant march with numerous, like any Corsican, relatives. In 1806, the villa became the property of Eliza Bonaparte Baciocchi, Queen of Etruria and concurrently sister of Napoleon Bonaparte, and acquired a significant addition to the name - Reale (Royal). Eliza fell in love with this place, and large-scale construction began in accordance with the tastes of the new mistress. First of all, the park was expanded at the expense of neighboring estates. In the Palazzo Orsetti, built in the style of the late Renaissance, features of neoclassicism appear. The park was redesigned in accordance with the then fashionable English style. A magnificent panorama appeared in front of the palazzo, all kinds of statues and vases made of Carrara white marble, so beloved by Micheleangelo, appeared in the park.

Villa Reale. Yew hedge with sculpture

Villa Reale

After the fall and expulsion of Bonaparte, his sister was forced to leave the estate in February 1814. The principality of Lucca was renamed a duchy and passed into the hands of Charles Louis of Bourbon, and Villa Reale went to the new ruler as a summer residence. Balls and magnificent festivities with the participation of famous people, princes, rulers began to be held here. In 1847, Lucca lost its status of the capital, being annexed to the Duchy of Tuscany, and Villa Reale ceased to be the seat of the royal court.

In the second half of the 19th century, the villa became the property of the King of Italy, Vittorio Emmanuele II, who ceded it to the widow of Charles of Bourbon, after whose death in 1882 the complex in Marlia went to her two children, Vittoria Augusta and Francesco Carlo. After their death, the villa was put up for sale, and many old trees from the old park were used … for firewood.

In 1923 the famous Villa was acquired by the Count and Countess of Pecci-Blunt. A year later, the reconstruction of the complex began under the leadership of the famous French architect Jacques Greber. The landscape was significantly changed: trees were planted, streams, a lake and other elements appeared, emphasizing the romantic spirit of the complex.

Villa Reale. Landscape part of the park

Villa Reale. Landscape part of the park

Currently, the park of Villa Reale covers an area of ​​16 hectares and is the result of numerous layering of renovations. One part of the Park retains the original 17th century style with hedges, lawns and tall trees; the second is designed in the style of a trendy English garden with winding paths, panoramic views and shady forests.

Villa Reale

Villa Reale

The dendrological composition of plantations is extremely diverse. Perhaps it is difficult to say what time of year the park is best. We were lucky enough to get into the flowering period of camellias. One of the parts of the garden is called the Camellia Road. It starts at the entrance and winds along the fence. The spectacle is fantastic - under the large trees and along the stream the soil is covered with a carpet of petals. You can get off the path, take a close-up photo of the plants, sit on a pebble by the stream among the petals.

Villa Reale. Camellia petal path

Villa Reale. Camellia

Villa Reale. Camellia

Villa Reale. Camellia

Weaving along the stream, the path leads to the lake, from the shore of which you can enjoy a stunning view of the royal villa. This is perhaps the most renovated building of the park complex to date, where the owners, a young married couple from Switzerland, currently live. Unfortunately, the villa has been in desolation for a long time and there are many places in the park that need repairs, but the work is just going at an accelerated pace. On the back of the vantage point, there is a wall of yew berry with marble sculptures in niches.

Villa Reale. Lake Shore

Villa Reale. Royal Villa

Villa Reale. Blooming camellias

Bypassing the lake, we find ourselves at the Villa of the Bishops of Luke. Unfortunately, the building itself is in the woods, but the classic Italian garden at its walls with a traditional grotto and sculptures of peasants in niches looks quite presentable.

Villa Reale. The grotto at the bishop's palace

Villa Reale. Holly (Ilex aquifolium)

Speaking about the Italian garden and the design of the park as a whole, it is worth noting that the variegated forms of woody and shrubby plants and forms with yellow and anthocyanin leaf color are very successfully used: holly, barberries and other species are presented very effectively, when suddenly, due to the turn of the path against the background of greenery, golden or silvery plants appear.

Villa Reale. Italian garden near the bishop's palace

Villa Reale. Variegated shrubs

Curving between trees and offering stunning views, the path leads to Pan's Grotto. The grotto is a marvelous secluded pavilion, decorated with a mosaic of shells and pebbles. There is a marble fountain in the center of the pavilion. Two paths lead from this secluded "office" - one to the pool, which is quite modern and is only of utilitarian interest on a hot day, but the second path leads to a wonderful Spanish garden with all the attributes necessary for this style - fragrant plants, water surface and enclosed space …

Villa Reale. Gorot Pan

Villa Reale. Gorot Pan

Villa Reale. Spanish garden

Villa Reale. Spanish garden

Villa Reale. Spanish garden

Access to the old chapel, which is the tomb of the owners of the estate, Olivieri and Orsetti, was closed due to restoration work. But the lemonarian appeared in all its glory. No Italian villa is unthinkable without citrus fruits. The culture of growing citrus plants in beautiful terracotta vessels (pots to call these masterpieces did not turn your tongue) has existed in Italy for centuries. At present, in the Luka region there is even a special farm for growing tub citrus ornamental plants - lemons, citrons, oranges and others.

In the lemonaria, around a reservoir, clad in gray stone and separated from the path by a balustrade, there are about 200 trees covered with citrus fruits. These are mainly lemons and oranges. Two sculptures symbolize the main rivers of the Lucca region - Arno and Sergio.

Villa Reale. Lemonarium

Villa Reale. Lemonarium

Villa Reale. Citruses

From the lemonarium, a cascade of stairs leads to the green theater. This is a traditional building, which is an amphitheater with a kind of stage, bounded by a green wall of clipped plants. Here are the figures of the heroes of traditional Italian performances in the style of the commedia dell'arte - Colombina, Pantalone, etc. At one time, the great violinist and composer Nikolo Paganini performed in this green theater.

Villa Reale. Green theater

Next is the villa, built by Orsetti - a palazzo, which was gradually built up with all kinds of outbuildings - kitchens, stables, rooms for servants. But the front façade is quite graceful thanks to the balcony and refined portico. But at present, this building is also in a state of restoration.

Finally, the villa itself and the water theater appear. The villa is rather laconic, as if trying not to distract from the beauty of nature, but at the same time it is made with an infallible taste and fits perfectly into the surrounding landscape. The windows offer stunning views of the lake and almost the entire park. True, only the owners and their guests can admire this view, but something can also be seen from the balustrade of the water theater. But the water theater made in the baroque style is simply mesmerizing. This is, first of all, a cascade of waterfalls and stunning grottoes with ferns and mosses among the murmuring water. You can climb in the water itself and find that a seemingly solid wall parting and letting you into a secret, shady and cool corner behind the waterfall. It should be just extraordinary on a hot Italian afternoon.

Villa Reale. The grotto in front of the royal villa

Villa Reale. The grotto in front of the royal villa

Villa Reale. Waterfall at the royal villa

Villa Reale. A grotto with ferns and mosses

In general, the park leaves the impression of a complex, and not of scattered parts from different eras. Probably, this is the merit of each subsequent landscape architect who carefully treated the heritage of his predecessor.

When planning your visit to Villa Reale, set aside an entire day to sit on benches in secluded corners, take pictures from different angles and in different lighting stunning panoramas. From my own experience, I can say that half a day is enough to get to know the park, but there will be absolutely no time left to leisurely enjoy nature.