Villa Torrigiani
In 1651, Nicolao Santini purchased a country villa from the Buonvisi family, which had already been the family's summer residence and, for a time, a convent. Subsequent events and changes of ownership shaped its current appearance, and it was Santini himself, Ambassador of the Republic to the court of the Sun King, who suggested the appearance of a small palace.
CONTACTS
STREET ADDRESS: Via Gomberaio, 3 Camigliano - Capannori
PHONE: 0583 928041 - 349 6206847
WEBSITE: www.villeepalazzilucchesi.it
A long cypress-lined avenue provides the dramatic entrance to Villa Camigliano, a small gem in the surrounding agricultural landscape of the hills. A perfect backdrop for one of Lucca's most significant monumental villas, it captures the eye from afar and, once past the large wrought-iron gate, reveals itself in the exuberant chiaroscuro of the façade with Serlian windows, the array of allegorical statues beautifully arranged in niches and cornices, and the ashlar work and moldings expertly crafted from rustic local stone.
A short staircase leads inside, into the large hall and adjacent rooms sumptuously furnished with fine silk tapestries, the pride and fortune of Lucca's merchants and craftsmen for many centuries and a testament to the court life of the city's aristocracy.
The trompe l'oeil frescoes inevitably evoke the garden, intricate and refined, full of references to French royal gardens, classical allegories, and exotic vegetation, designed with the same care as the building itself. A large English lawn with two French-inspired ponds enhances the villa's volume, and, to one side, the fragrant herb garden, Flora's secret garden, enclosed between a precious nymphaeum and an elegant staircase leading to the fishpond on the garden level.