Villa Oliva

In his will of 1539, Alessandro Buonvisi left all his assets to his son Lodovico, except for the Villa of San Pancrazio, which he reserved for his wife. However, the villa likely dates back to the previous century and is perhaps attributable to the brilliant hand of Matteo Civitali, a Renaissance genius and explorer of the delicate, harmonious relationships of architecture. Perched on a slight slope, the villa and its surrounding space are a balanced interplay of planes, chiaroscuro, perspectives, and volumes.

The south facade of Villa Oliva, in neoclassical style, and its garden. At the center of the villa's facade is an entrance portal surmounted by a small terrace. In the foreground is a fountain with a statue of a cherub and an English lawn with boxwood bushes and flowers.

STREET ADDRESS: Via delle Ville, 2034 San Pancrazio

PHONE: 330 446252

EMAIL: info@villaoliva.it

WEBSITE: villaoliva.it

A Renaissance-inspired design with a Florentine and Mannerist influence, Villa Oliva's complex and unique design, a striking feature in the Lucca landscape, is a testament to its unique character. The interplay of volumes and the intersections of different levels characterize the building's architecture and the surrounding spaces. The restrained valley façade contrasts sharply with the broad, double-volume portico, opened rather than contained by a tall colonnade.

Intersecting planes intersect and intersect in perspective, forming the garden's distinctive feature. A grand staircase protected by a hornbeam vault. A cypress-lined avenue, a "green room" planted with yew, box, and laurel trees, and a belvedere covered by a yew vault suggestively opens onto the garden below, the rolling hills, and the city beyond. The dual slope of the land, rising to the north and east, is resolved with terraces, low walls, grassy knolls, and low box hedges, continually arousing surprise.

Terracotta statues populate this intricate garden: a seated Diana, with her faithful dog and a barn owl in the spiderweb; the "Pitocco" seated on a low wall; and other fantastical creatures arranged in fake grottoes and fountains. A "Siren" beneath a Buonvisi coat of arms amidst grinning caryatids and satyrs; a putto accompanied by fantastical horses and other winged cherubs with fish tails; and the 19th-century statue of Abundance.