Lucca’s wealthy families built country homes outside the city. They spent hot summers there. Each villa has gardens with neat hedges, fountains, flowers and lemon trees in large clay pots.
Most of the villas are east of La Limonaia. Villa Reale is the natural first choice. Villa Torrigiani and Villa Mansi are farther east. Palazzo Pfanner is inside Lucca, while Villa Garzoni is in Collodi.
Villa Reale at the far end of its great lawn, backed by the Pizzorne hills.
The essential first visit
Villa Reale di Marlia
If you visit only one villa, choose Villa Reale. It has 16 hectares of gardens, two museums and several historic buildings. The grounds mix formal Baroque gardens with a softer English park.
The Orsetti family built the Green Theatre, Water Theatre and Lemon Garden in the 1600s. Elisa Bonaparte Baciocchi bought the estate in 1806, while she ruled Lucca. She joined it to the nearby Bishop’s Villa. She also changed the main house and its park.
There is also a lovely café on the grounds where you can stop for coffee, a drink or even a light lunch. We highly recommend making time for it during your visit.
Do not miss
The hedge-lined Green Theatre and monumental Water Theatre
The Lemon Garden, with citrus trees carried indoors each winter
Elisa Bonaparte’s Empire-style rooms inside the main villa
Pan’s Grotto, the camellia walks and the small lake
Allow at least two hours. The estate has free parking and an audio-guide app. Opening is seasonal, so check the current calendar before leaving.
The estate is much more than one grand view. Formal gardens, water features and long, quiet walks unfold around the house. These are a few of our favourite views from our latest visit.
The monumental Water Theatre reflected in its pool.The villa and its carefully framed forecourt.Hedges, roses and still water in one of the formal gardens.Your hosts at La Limonaia, happily doing the research.
Villa Torrigiani’s orange front stands at the end of a long lawn.
The boldest design
Villa Torrigiani
A long cypress drive ends at one of the area’s most colourful villas. Nicolao Santini bought it in 1651. He had worked at the court of Louis XIV in France. He returned to Lucca and turned the country house into a small palace.
Inside, some rooms still have silk wall coverings and fine painted details. Outside, the garden has a wide lawn, pools and fountains. Flora’s private garden has statues and a richly decorated cave.
Do not miss
The cypress drive and richly decorated Baroque façade
The furnished rooms and surviving Lucchese silk hangings
Flora’s garden, the fountain cave and the stepped fishpond
Check before you go. This is a private villa. Opening days and tours can change.
Villa Mansi’s pale façade opens towards its mature landscape park.
Silk wealth and a dark legend
Villa Mansi
The wealthy Mansi family made its money from silk. In the 1600s, the family bought the older Villa Segromigno. It gave the house a grand new front and changed the garden.
Villa Mansi is also known for the story of Lucida Mansi. The legend says she gave her soul to stay young. When the bargain ended, the devil took her life. The tale is now part of Lucca’s folklore.
Best for
Connecting the country villas to Lucca’s silk economy
The ornate façade, furnished rooms and mature park
A garden visit with a memorable story attached
Plan this visit for a weekday. Villa Mansi has set afternoon hours during its main season. It is closed at weekends. Check the current dates and summer closure before you go.
Statues, fountains, flowers and potted citrus fill Palazzo Pfanner’s garden inside Lucca.
Easy to add to a Lucca day
Palazzo Pfanner
Palazzo Pfanner lets you see a formal garden during a day in Lucca. Silk merchants began the palace in the 1600s. The Controni family later built its grand stairs and garden. The garden’s design is often linked to Filippo Juvarra.
The garden has a central fountain, statues, neat hedges and lemon trees. Your ticket also includes the painted rooms of the palace museum. Here you can learn about Felix Pfanner, who once ran a brewery beside the garden.
Best for
Adding a formal garden to a day in central Lucca
Combining statues, architecture and city sightseeing
A shorter alternative to the large country estates
This is the simplest visit to arrange. Palazzo Pfanner lists daily opening hours from April to November. Check the current page before you go.
Villa Garzoni’s grand staircase brings together water, stone and statues.
A grand day trip
Villa Garzoni, Collodi
Villa Garzoni stands below the old village of Collodi. Its garden climbs the steep hill beside the house. Terraces, fountains and a grand water staircase make it one of the area’s boldest gardens.
Paths lead past caves, statues, a hedge theatre and the private Bathing Pavilion. The villa is closed for repairs, but the garden alone is worth the trip. Families can turn Collodi into a full day with the nearby Butterfly House and Pinocchio Park.
Do not miss
The grand staircase and its line of waterfalls
The maze, caves and old water system
The view towards the stone houses of Collodi
It is farther away, but easy to plan. The garden has regular opening days. With children, read our Pinocchio Park guide before choosing a combined ticket. Check the hours and ticket options before leaving.
A limonaia keeps lemon trees safe from winter frost. The trees spend the warm months outside in large clay pots. Before winter, workers move them into a tall, bright room. In spring, the trees go outside again.
At Lucca’s villas, this useful task also shaped the garden. Rows of pots became part of the summer display. The limonaia itself was often a grand building. This tradition gave La Limonaia its name.
From La Limonaia
Plan your villa day
The villas are close on the map, but they do not always open on the same days. Check each official site before choosing your route.
Half day
Give Villa Reale the time it deserves
Spend the morning exploring Villa Reale at an easy pace. Its gardens, museums and historic buildings comfortably fill a half day, while still leaving time to return to the pool.
Lucca day
Add a garden to your Lucca itinerary
Drive into Lucca, then pair Palazzo Pfanner with the city walls, San Frediano and lunch inside the city. It is the easiest garden to combine with an existing Lucca day.
Full day
Choose the villas or make for Collodi
Start at Villa Reale, then have lunch around Marlia or Segromigno. Visit Villa Torrigiani or Villa Mansi in the afternoon. You can also give Villa Garzoni and Collodi their own full day.
Hot weather
Start early and keep the pace gentle
The parks have shade, but many paths cross gravel and open lawns. Bring water, sun cream and good shoes. Access for people with limited movement differs at each villa.
Sources & image credits
We used the official villa websites and Lucca Tourism for this guide. Always check the linked visitor pages for current opening days, tickets and access. The Villa Reale photo story uses photographs by La Limonaia.
