The Royal Villa (Villa Reale) of Marlia is a Renaissance villa surrounded by a magnificent park in the surroundings of Lucca (Tuscany).

It was built in the 16th Century by a noble family of Lucca. In 1806 it was acquired by Napoleon’s sister Elisa Bonaparte Baciocchi, who enlarged and embellished the park. After the fall of Napoleon the property went to the Archduke of Tuscany and then to King Vittorio Emanuele II who gave it to his brother Prince Carlo.

The Prince had married a British woman who was not descending from a royal family and was for this reason disinherited. The romantic but unhappy couple lived all their life in the villa and was buried in the chapel in the park. In 1924 property was acquired by the Count Pecci-Blunt and is still owned by their family.

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The villa is surrounded by a beautiful park, adorned by an English style garden, several fountains, a pond, the cove of Pan, statues, the water theater, the green theater, two chapels, the lemon garden, the Clocktower Villa and the Bishop Villa.

The visit to the park  is wonderful, it may take between 45 minutes to more than 2 hours depending how much time you want to dedicate to enjoy these beautiful gardens.

The park is open from 1 March to 30 November, closed on Mondays.

Opening hours 10-13 and 14-18. Ticket: 7 Euro. Phone: +39 0583.30108

The Royal Villa is still a private residence and cannot be visited inside.  

www.parcovillareale.it

If you wish to do a private tour of Lucca contact us