Villa Mansi
Built as Villa Segromigno, it was purchased in the 17th century by the Mansi family, a very wealthy family known for its silk trade. After purchasing the house, the family commissioned the Lucca architect Giusti to restore the façade and Filippo Juvarra to transform the garden. The villa contains numerous paintings, many of which are by Stefano Tofanelli.
STREET ADDRESS: Via delle Selvette, 242 Segromigno in Monte - Capannori
PHONE: 0583 920234 - 347 7529340
WEBSITE: villeepalazzilucchesi.it
The entrance to the park, on one side of the villa, passes through the stable courtyard. From here, small waterfalls lead to the larger fishpond, an elegant and soft design, a balustrade protected by statues of sylvan creatures, the last remaining element of the garden designed in the 700th century by Filippo Juvarra. Not far away, hidden among the trees, is the small grotto of Diana's bath, replacing the more traditional nymphaeum. Finally, the light and delicate volume of the villa emerges against the backdrop of the English garden, among the large historic trees that line the lawn.
An elegant and refined design, with delicate chromatic alternations and light chiaroscuro vibrations of the volumes of the double-ramp staircase, the large central portico, and the lowered and slightly projecting lateral bodies created by the architect Muzio Oddi, when the villa belonged to the Cenami family.
The main floor, decidedly raised, is a succession of communicating rooms, overlooking the central hall frescoed by the Lucca painter Stefano Tofanelli with naturalistic and mythological subjects.
It is in these rooms and in the garden that, according to one of the legends most beloved by the people of Lucca, the tormented ghost of the beautiful Lucida Mansi wanders, victim of a wicked, Faustian pact with the devil.