VILLA REALE DI MARLIA: AN ILLUSTRIOUS PROPERTY ENJOYED BY THE GREAT AND THE GLAMOROUS FOR CENTURIES. FEW SETTINGS IN ITALY ARE AS RICH IN ALLURE, BEAUTY AND A VIVID SENSE OF HISTORY AS VILLA REALE. THE TIMELESS ELEGANCE OF THE GROUNDS WILL CHARM AND DELIGHT, PERFECT FOR A RELAXING WALK. The 17th century Villa Reale di Marlia lies in the heart of Tuscany, near Lucca, in an exceptional location at the foot of the Pizzorne hills. Home in the 19thcentury to Napoleon’s sister and Duchess of Lucca Elisa Bonaparte Baciocchi, the Villa is encircled by high walls, seemingly protecting it from the passing of time. Villa Reale is considered to be one of the most important historical properties in Italy. The 16-hectare estate includes numerous refined gardens and botanic rarities, as well as majestic buildings created over centuries. The Park features a splendid Water Theatre, the world famous Green Theatre (where the composer Paganini often performed for Elisa Baciocchi), pathways lined with Camellia flowers, and is enriched by a Lemon Garden with a group of marble statues depicting Leda and the Swan, and a Spanish Garden in Art Deco style. Several historic buildings add to the experience, including the 16th century Villa del Vescovo with its nymphaeum, named the Grotto of Pan, and the elegant 18th century Palazzina dell’Orologio with its panoramic loggia.