Villa Garzoni and its Garden in Collodi.

Villa Garzoni

Standing imposingly at the foot of the village, as if barring entrance into the maze of medieval streets and houses, which seem to cluster close together behind it, this baroque villa was built between 1633 and 1652 over the remains of the preexistent castle.
The history of the Garzoni family is inextricably linked to the local history. The Garzonis were an ancient noble family of the Pescia area, who sided with the Ghibellines and thus sought refuge in Collodi - which lay within the domain of Lucca - when Pescia became subject to the Guelph town of Florence. For a prolonged period of time they were recognized as the lords of the village and its surrounding lands. The Villa they themselves had built, with its elaborately splendid garden, soon became famous throughout Europe and was visited by princes, archdukes, men of letters and even - as local lore has it - by Napoleon Bonaparte.
Today the appearance of the building is austere and harmonious, stately and original at the same time: its four floors, crowned by a pavilion, form a structure midway that has the character both of a nobleman's palatial residence and a great country mansion. In its interior, all the main areas are decroated with ornamental stucco work and frescoes, while a grand flight of steps leads up from the portico into a ornate gallery. The rooms, almost every one of which is characterized by its own special colour scheme, are arranged in succession in order of importance up to the great central hall, traditionally used for receptions and concerts. Of particular interest are the "red room" with its canopy bed - where, according to tradition, Napoleon slept, and the vast kitchens with the massive old-fashioned range and chimney-piece. Beyond the portico and the courtyard rises the whimsical and delightful Palazzina d'Estate (Summer House), built in the second half of the XVIIth century probably by Ottavio Diodati: the main central body, of a convex semicylindrical shape, and the two concave wings form a striking contrast with the linear style of the fa+ade of the Villa.

The Garden of Villa Garzoni
The Europe-wide fame of the Villa is due above all to its splendid baroque garden, which rates among the very few in Europe that can still be seen and appreciated as it was originally. The garden dates back to the XVIIth century, as does the Villa, but it was embellished with statues and magnificent fountains in the following century.
From its outset, the grounds surrounding the Villa were conceived as pleasure gardens undisguisedly devoted to erotic delights; yet it can be considered a "work of art of rare delicacy where the greenery, flights of steps, spraying frountains and statues form a unique structure" (Pedreschi). Extending on a different axis from that of the Villa, the lower section of the garden opens onto a parterre in the French style, orned with flowerbeds, statues and two large round ponds. After a barely perceptible transition to the first terrace, an elegant double flight of steps leads up to the three upper terraces, in perfect harmony with the shape of the land. Above, at the top of a "stairway of water" flanked by two female figures representing the eternal rivals Lucca and Florence, lies the statue of Fame blowing into a shell from which there springs a jet of spray that arches high into the air.
This is the classic route to follow for a visit to the Villa, but innumerable other trails can be discovered running through the parkland, offering curious vistas and surprises: among the various grottos, the grotta di Nettuno ("Neptune's grotto") is particularly delightful, with its unpredictable and mischievous water spouts, but the real jewel of the garden is the Teatrino (Little Theatre), at whose sides the statues of Comedy and Music can be admired. The Maze is also very interesting, and is one of the rare examples still to be found in Tuscan villas; one can also visit the highly original Edificio dei Bagni (Bath House), which boasts distinct sectors for men and women, but also has a common bathing room intended as area for encounters, to the sound of music, with the musicians tucked away out of view so that they would be unable to catch sight of goings-on in the bath-house. Finally, there are countless statues of tufa stone and terracotta, often copies of baroque or Hellenistic originals, but also depicting beggars, farmers, small monkeys, turkeys, etc. in a naturalistic pose.