16th-century Villa With Frescoes And Centuries-old Park In Lucca

In Lucca, a city of art enclosed by famous Renaissance walls, this extraordinary historical villa of 2,297 sqm is for sale. Distributed over four levels, it is frescoed and impeccably maintained, surrounded by a large private park of three hectares. A Renaissance estate with 12 bedrooms and 5 bathrooms, built in the early 1500s to a design by Nicolao Civitali to provide the nascent Lucca Republic with a setting worthy of welcoming kings, emperors and popes. Over the centuries, it has been owned by princes, great bankers and intellectuals, and was where Napoleon III stayed after his deposition in 1870.

The villa was built in the early 1500s to a design by Nicolao Civitali, a highly prestigious architect, to provide Francesco Burlamacchi and the nascent Republic of Lucca with a setting worthy of welcoming kings, emperors and popes. This original purpose gave the villa the magnificence and sumptuous spaces that still characterise it today. In 1548, the villa passed to the Duke of Amalfi, and over the centuries it became the home of princes, great bankers and intellectuals. Each owner left their mark, enriching the villa with works of art, precious furnishings and architectural modifications that tell its long history. At the end of the 1700s, the villa was owned by Marianna Montecatini, a wealthy and enlightened bourgeois woman, unmarried, who wanted to leave her mark. It was she who redesigned the park according to the romantic taste of the time, creating the English garden and building the stairs that still characterise the property today, as well as overseeing the expansion of the park. In the nineteenth century, it was the residence of the Count of Newerkerke and the Princesses Cantacuzene, whose large portraits and numerous memorabilia enrich the rooms and bear witness to the nobility of the owners. A significant historical moment was when, after his deposition in 1870, Emperor Napoleon III stayed in this residence. In the dining room, the paintings of Emperor Napoleon III and his consort immediately catch the eye, tangible evidence of this historical event. Other sculptures and paintings stand out in this room, which is still used for its original purpose.

Today, the villa retains the rational harmony of its spacious 16th-century rooms, a distinctive feature of Tuscan Renaissance architecture, enriched around the 1600s by vast cycles of perfectly preserved frescoes, which decorate the entire main floor and loggia. Its spaces, both sumptuous and welcoming, and the precious furnishings accumulated over the centuries, invite you to participate in a long, fascinating and happy history. In every aspect, the villa offers a setting of great prestige and warm, discreet elegance, bearing witness to centuries of history, art and culture.

The main floor of the villa, which can accommodate up to 350 guests, invites you into a fairytale world. On the walls and ceilings, entirely frescoed around the 1600s, nymphs, mythological figures, ancient views and shepherds in love chase each other, creating scenes of extraordinary beauty and refinement. The grand ballroom, a room of extraordinary magnificence, can accommodate up to 120 people seated under its 16-metre-high vaulted ceiling, a monumental dimension that gives the space a unique solemnity. The room is completely covered, walls and ceiling, with frescoes depicting Greek gods, while the green squares depict the signs of the zodiac.

The cracks in the ceiling are due to an 18th-century earthquake that struck the entire Garfagnana area, historical signs that bear witness to the events that have taken place in this residence. During the Second World War, the ballroom was used as a camp by Nazi soldiers, who completely ruined the floor, which was then promptly rebuilt at the end of the conflict.

The ballroom is accompanied by the adjacent terrace room and a series of four beautiful sitting rooms, also frescoed, furnished with fine furniture and sculptures that further enrich the magnificence of the main floor. On the ground floor, the imperial portrait gallery opens onto the loggia with its delightful pink and gold Baroque frescoes and stunning views of the park and lotus pond. The loggia, as well as the more recent bathroom, are frescoed, testifying to how decorative art pervades every corner of this residence. The loggia, protected in winter by large windows, is the ideal place for aperitifs, more intimate ceremonies, or dancing after dinner, creating a versatile space that elegantly combines indoor and outdoor areas.

The villa is surrounded by three hectares of private parkland, where the sunny elegance of the Tuscan garden blends with the romantic charm of an English park, creating a perfect balance between formal order and spontaneous nature. The park, with its centuries-old trees, large lawns, camellia grove, lotus pond and water lily pond, and its romantic walks, is a botanical and landscape heritage of extraordinary value. Every element of the park tells the story of the transformations desired by Marianna Montecatini at the end of the 18th century, who made it a place of great romantic charm.

The combination of centuries of history, which has seen kings, emperors, popes, princes, Emperor Napoleon III and noble families pass through, Renaissance architecture by Nicolao Civitali for the Republic of Lucca, perfectly preserved frescoes decorating the entire main floor, a ballroom with a 16-metre vaulted ceiling capable of seating 120 people, a loggia with pink and gold Baroque frescoes, imperial portrait room, 3-hectare park redesigned by Marianna Montecatini with lotus pond, water lily pond, camellia forest, centuries-old trees, furnishings and memorabilia accumulated over the centuries, 12 bedrooms, and the impeccable maintenance that has preserved this residence through the centuries, make this property for sale absolutely unique. A villa for those seeking not only a prestigious estate, but a piece of Italian history, a liveable work of art in the heart of Tuscany, in Lucca, a cultural heritage city of extraordinary beauty, where you can live surrounded by 16th-century frescoes, historical furnishings and a romantic park that tells five centuries of history, art and beauty.