Over three hundred villas are concealed in the green of the Lucca hills, many of them built in the 16th century and throughout the years they have been worked on by architects who have made them unique dwellings. Great part of the villas are currently private property, but some can be accessed to visit the parks and internal structures.
Marlia’s Villa Reale and Segromigno’s Villa Mansi, Villa Bottini inside the city walls or Villa Guinigi, the seat of the museum by the same name are just two of these monumental works which can be discovered in the province of Lucca. As well as these there are some noble mansions such as Villa Grabau, where you can visit both the park and the villa.
Built on the ruins of an ancient medieval village near San Pancrazio, Villa Grabau was erected int he five hundreds by will of the Diodati family, powerful Lucca merchants; then various families took residence there and in the years have transformed the structure onto its current appearance with predominantly new classic lines (although some gothic and renaissance elements can be detected too). In 1868 the Grabau family acquired it, and still is its current owner.
Inside the Villa you can admire halls decorated with frescoes and Trompe l'oeils whereas on the outside you will be enchanted by one of the mot interesting parks of the entire Lucchesia which extends over a surface of nine hectares. The «English garden» made up of a few Linden, Maple and Holm-oak woods; the «Italian garden» formed by fields and high hedges and decorated with over hundred «basins of centenary citrus-trees», lemons in terracotta basins, which, during wintertime, are moved within the 18th century lemon-house. You can also enjoy the «Verdant open-air theatre», a stage for summertime concerts and events.
Inside the whole garden fountains decorated with bronze masques and marble statues can be found here and there in the hedges and the paths. The park and the Villa are open to the public from Easter to the First of November every day excluding Monday and Tuesday mornings, from 10 am to 1 pm and in the afternoon from 3 pm to 7 pm. During closing periods you may visit only upon reservation or on Sundays.
Also, inside the villa, you can organise meetings and cultural events and lunch in groups of at leatst 25 people upon booking.
Villa Grabau - Via di Matraia, 269 - San Pancrazio (Lucca)
Tel. 0583/406098 – Office hours
E-mail: villagrabau@mclink.it
Province of Lucca (In Italian)
APT Lucca (In Italian)
Villa Grabau
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