18.5.12

Poor Filippo – possibly the worst birthday present ever!

Imagine setting off to fetch your clients and finding your precious Mercedes mini-van up on bricks like this? This is his work for heavens sake and some pranksters think it is funny to steal and sell not only the tyres but even his wheels – what a nightmare!

But professional to the nth degree Filippo Fattori , our driver for all our tours for the past 3 years found us another van and driver before he even phoned for the police – thank you Filippo we salute you and we wish unspeakable nasty things on the people who did this thing!

So over an hour after we were due to start another driver arrived in a huge van and meanwhile one of our number Kath, whom Filippo had intended to collect on his way in, was left without mobile and therefore uncontactable and unfindable on the roadside near Bagno I Ripoli – fortunately she was very understanding when we finally made contact – and claims to have made use of her time shopping!

Villa Reale in Marlia

We were obviously running late when we reached the Villa Reale in Marlia, but at least there was no sign of the threatened rain and lots of  different styles of gardens across the property to see.

This trip to Lucca differs from the other days of this week’s garden tour, in that it is nothing to do with Anglo-American Expats in Tuscany, – however the Villa Marlia did get appropriated by a famous Expat – none other than Eliza – the youngest sister of Napoleon, whom he made Grand Duchess as part of his attempt to control Europe through his family.

In June 1805, the oligarchic Republic of Lucca, which had been occupied by France since late 1799, was made a principality and added to Élisa’s domain, and when chosing a home in Lucca she saw Villa Marlia as the biggest and best and simply “took it” from the then owners – the Orsetti family. The Orsetti had been responsible for developing the “Palazzina dell`Orologio” (the Clock tower) which became the stables,  and for creating a classc baroque garden with lots of areas for “gioci di aqua” (water games) , nymphaeums and grottos full of rather fierce looking statues – especially when the sunlight strikes them!

Fierce statue in Grotto at Villa Reale

It is easy to see why Elisa would want this Villa – although now left a near ruin this must have been a sumptuous place to entertain from in it’s heyday – and the Bonaparte’s liked to party!

The beauty to me of this garden is the way one walks from “room to room” each with a different, usually unexpected, feature – and thus it became the model for many smaller gardens in the area.

the fountain at the end of the Spanish garden

Themes include a  Spanish Garden, a carp pool to supply the home with fish to eat, more water games and a geyser fountain.

the carp pool

Above shows the golden carp pool with Leda at the end with her swan plus a bonus real swan to keep him company – and below is the geyzer fountain.

the Geyser fountain

From Marlia we went to the smaller villa – stuffed with statues – owned by the Torrigiani family.

The Villa Torrigiani

The Villa Torrigiani was closed when we arrived late but they very generously opened up for us when we explained the situation – and once we were in the guard dog managed to greet us with a great thump of his tale before he rolled on his back for a tummy rub – probably the least efficient guard dog in the world – but what a beautiful bear he is – look at the size of those paws!

Let sleeping dogs lie at Villa Torrigiani

This Villa has most of the features of Villa Reale at Marlia, but on a smaller scale.

The water games gardens above and the fish pond below.

The Villa also has it’s own Chapel and mausoleum in the grounds.

Lucca

The walled City of Lucca is one of the favourite venues for tourists in Tuscany, home of Puccini, a Roman amphitheatre, a tower with a tree flourishing from the top and the most extraordinary twirly barley sugar frontage of any Church I know!

St Michele Church frontage

We also ate well – although alone because we were still trying to catch up after our late start, they kept our reservation at Rusticanella2 

Palazzo Pfanner

In the afternoon we saw Palazzo Pfanner – the small beer garden attached to a dramatic house – ideal for a stage set. The garden has been used in films including the recent adaptation by Jane Campion of Henry James‘  The Portrait of a Lady.

Palazzo Pfanner

The Garzoni Gardens in Collodi

For the end of the day the tourist village of Collodi – but not to see Pinocchio – to see another elaborate garden design in Villa Garzoni , complete with exotic birds and palm trees

Garzoni gardens

 And here we finally got back to Anglo-American Expatriates, as here we have a place much enjoyed by John Singer Sargent as a place to paint, and so visitors to the current Americans in Florence exhibition in the Strozzi Palace might recognise this image of Daphne below!

Daphne in transition in painting by John Singer Sarge

Daphne in transition to a laurel bush