Villas

In this section you will find information on accessible or at least visible historic villas present in the Province of Lucca. It is our intention to give a general overview of this rich architectonic patrimony (including the Medici's abode of Seravezza), paying attention to its evolution over the course of the secular history of the Lucchese state. Infact, during the Renaissance period the villas were both places for recreation and active agricultural enterprise closely linked to that production of silk which had made a fortune for the rich Lucchese merchants. Afterwards when they turned towards financial activities, the villas maintained an important economic role as financial guarantees of solvency. With the decadence of the Lucchese Republic, the villas exclusively became places of magnificence that bore witness to the prestige of its owners. In more recent times after the unification of Italy, you can note, especially in Versilia and the immediate surroundings of Lucca, the flourishing of new constructions in Art Nouveau style, private residences which respond to the needs of the new industrial society.