Tours / Villa Reale of Marlia guided tour

A guided tour to discover the 'queen' of the historical villas and its splendid garden a few kilometers away from Lucca!

The historical villas of Lucca were built between the 15th and the 19th century at a short distance from the city as summer residences of the noble families of Lucca. They are beautiful villas that integrate wisely with the gentle hilly landscape that surrounds them and are enriched by splendid gardens with fountains, sculptures and interesting tree species. Villa Reale was purchased in 1806 by Elisa Baciocchi, Napoleon's sister and Princess of Lucca and Piombino, who left an indelible mark on both the structure of the villa and of its garden.

Our guided tour of the Villa Reale garden is a pleasant walk through what is commonly considered the most beautiful garden in Tuscany!

Our tour starts right from the magnificent garden that surrounds the villa and which, unlike other Tuscan gardens, boasts a huge variety of different spaces. We pass in fact from the Lemon Garden with 200 citrus plants, to the Hispano-Moorish style garden, walking through the mysterious Grotto of the god Pan, the Teatro di Verzura - a real theater built with plants, the oldest in Europe- the Water Theater with the statues of the four seasons and then the relaxing English style Garden. We will not miss the beautiful Camellias Alley: it is said that it was Elisa Baciocchi - a great botany enthusiast - who introduced the camellias to Lucca, an area in which they found a perfect habitat so much to grow in the form of imposing trees! Finally, we will stop by the garden lake which offers the most beautiful and scenic view of Villa Reale.

Visiting Villa Reale you will discover the life and personality of Elisa Baciocchi, a woman with a strong aptitude for leadership, but at the same time a lover of fun, music and billiards!

After many years of neglect and five years of restoration, the rooms of Villa Reale are accessible again. Visiting the interiors of the villa we will make a real journey into the sumptuous world of Elisa Baciocchi's court. A woman of great culture, she was defined by her brother Napoleon "the best of my ministers" and as a matter of fact he left the government of the city of Lucca in her hands. Elisa spent a lot of time in Villa Reale, away from the looks of the Lucchesi who disapproved of her passion for parties, for billiards, for horses, for her being too independent.

During our tour you will admire the elegant rooms of the villa decorated in Empire style with French-style furnishings and works of art: from the elegant Bedroom of Elisa to the Bathroom decorated with splendid marble, without neglecting the two rooms preferred by the Princess: the Games Room and the Ballroom!

Located just 15 minutes by car from Lucca, Villa Reale is the ideal place to escape from the heat and chaos of the city.

Our guided tour of Villa Reale includes both a visit to the interior of the villa and the garden, it is also suitable for children and is the perfect experience for lovers of history, art and green spaces! In an atmosphere of great peace we will discover the fascinating history of the most beautiful garden in Tuscany and we will enter the fabulous world of Princess Elisa!