Villa Grabau

In an unpublished 16th-century land registry appraisal, “the palace” is depicted for the first time, with a vast enclosure in the centre purchased years earlier by Girolamo and Alessandro Diodati.

Villa Grabau di San Pancrazio is immersed in the greenery of the park, beneath a blue summer sky. In the foreground are flowering bushes and grasses. Large trees flank the sides, and in the center, in the background, is the villa with a loggia and arches on the lower level and windows on the two upper floors.

STREET ADDRESS: Via di Matraia, 269 S.Pancrazio

PHONE: 0583 406098

EMAIL: info@villagrabau.it

WEBSITE: villagrabau.it

Two gates lead to the center of the park where the villa stands. One, on one side, elegant and precious, connects to the neighboring Villa Oliva; it's known as the red gate because of its mosaics made from terracotta fragments. The other, more dramatic, features two tall pillars and an elegant wrought-iron gate, framing the balanced composition of the garden and villa. The architecture is inspired by the famous Villa Buonvisi in Lucca, reproducing the harmonious design of its façade. The light arches open onto the central hall on the ground floor, renovated in the 800th century and frescoed with trompe l'oeil motifs. A large park surrounds the villa, featuring native trees and shrubs from around the world.

Shady groves of oaks, holm oaks, hornbeams, lime trees, field maples, holly, and freckle trees, where you can stroll along shady paths lined with boxwood or yew, while large, airy green spaces are home to exotic trees and shrubs, introduced in the early 800th century, thanks primarily to the opportunities offered at that time by the newly founded Botanical Garden of Lucca, which helped transform the villa gardens into true plant wonders. Among the most majestic species are the tulip tree, the sequoia, the Atlas cedar, the Arizona cypress, the sweet olive, the California fan palm, and the Canary Island date palm.

On one side of the building is the small, elegant theatre and the sumptuous lemon house covered with a lush ficus repens.