Camelieto of Sant'Andrea

CONTACTS

ADDRESS: Via del Cantiere, Sant'Andrea di Compito (Capannori)

TEL : 0583 977188 - 345 0552996

E-MAIL: info@camelielucchesia.it

APP & WEB SOLUTION: camelletiumcompitese.com

This splendid flower, belonging to the Theaceae family, originates from Southeast Asia, especially Japan, China, and Korea. This plant's origins are ancient, and its exotic allure, the brilliant hues of its leaves, and its exuberant beauty captivated the aristocracy of the time, who used it lavishly to embellish the gardens and parks of the aristocratic residences and villas in the Lucca countryside.

In 1830, Angelo Borrini, ophthalmologist to the Duke of Lucca and a scientist studying camellias, together with his brother Alessandro, planted some seeds of the plant in the Compitese area, a valley on the slopes of Monte Pisano, on the Lucca side, in the villages of Sant'Andrea and Pieve di Compito, where they found an ideal microclimate, acidic soil, and abundant water.

This is where the spectacular is located Camelieto of Sant'Andrea di CompitoA magical place to discover, immersed in the silence and beauty of nature, amidst the woods, canyons, and streams, it is now home to more than 1.000 camellia specimens, 250 of which are named. The 7.250-square-meter area was created to protect and preserve ancient cultivars dating back to before 1900, not only native to the Lucca area, but also originally from local and Tuscan villas, and later from the rest of Italy and abroad.
It is divided into eleven areas dedicated to artists and famous musicians. A garden so beautiful and rich that it has earned the title of garden of excellence from the International Camellia Society, a coveted recognition that only a few gardens in the world can boast.

Hundreds of camellias with fascinating and exotic names reminiscent of the Far East. Among them are the beautiful "Aspasia," "Polar Star," and "Compito Star," all of which are at risk of extinction.
The season for visiting the Camellia Flower Garden is very long, from autumn to late spring, depending on the variety: the first to flower are the Sasanqua varieties, unique for their scent, which blooms as early as October.
The last ones, between February and April, are the Japonicas, including Camellia sinesis, the fragrant plant whose leaves are used to make tea, a beverage obtained by fermenting and infusing the leaves of this species. The Antica Chiusa Borrini, in Sant'Andrea di Compito, is home to Italy's first tea plantation and produces a small but excellent quantity every year.
And also the Camellia rusticana and the legendary Higo, the Samurai Camellia and many other camellias with rich and varied colour ranges that go from the pure and pure white of the Alba simplex to the two-coloured striped ones to all shades of pink up to the brilliant and bright red.

In the month of March, at the height of the flowering, the Exhibition of the Ancient Camellias of Lucca, a historic event that allows you to visit the camelieto and the gardens of the villas, and participate in the many initiatives of music, art and local gastronomy and cultural initiatives such as the tea ceremony.