The Lucca nobility liked siting their country retreats on the slopes of the Pizzorne, that range of hills which are the final statement of the Tuscan Apennines before the great Arno river plain spreads out. Like Venetians with their villas along the Brenta or Londoners with their retreats flanking the Thames the sylvan delights of the Luccan villas provided welcome escape from the hurly-burly of city life. Moreover, they also supplied the owners’ tables with fresh produce and palatable wines.

Perhaps the finest Luccan equivalent to the English country house is the Villa Reale or Royal Villa. The original building was transformed into an elegant neo-classical palace by Napoleon’s sister, Elisa Bonaparte, when she became princess of Lucca. Here Elisa would be entertained by such figures as Paganini, the violinist who, legend has it, sold his soul to the Devil in return for the gift of divine musical talent and the company of equally divine women. Certainly dancing and concerts enhanced life at the villa reale as its sumptuous ballroom illustrates.

In the villa are also a games room, a bathroom, and Elisa’s own bedroom.

Into this last we stepped, dressed in Napoleonic-era inspired costumes, to join in a re-enactment day. We did not have expert couturiers tailoring for us but everything that was required we found in our wardrobes! My wife’s frock was, in fact, an Indian nighty and my boots came from Mongolia!

The Villa Reale is surrounded by an extensive park laid out in English landscape style by Elisa who replaced the old fashioned formalism of the baroque gardens with something more approaching the romantic taste of the time. Of the previous gardens little remains except for the grotto of Pan, currently being restored and thus closed to the public.

The clock building near the villa contains three interesting museums. The first covers the library and music collection of the Pecci-Blunt family who bought the villa in 1921 and restored and refurbished it. It also contains a charming collection of dolls gleaned from world travels. The second museum is filled with dolls-house modelled on buildings in the villa’s grounds. The third is the newest museum and illustrates through photographs and films the exuberantly socialite lives of the Pecci-Blunt family.

Letitia Pecci-Blunt was a generous patron of the arts and her villa became a veritable salon of the arts with such guests as Braque and Stravinsky frequenting it.

Unfortunately when Letitia died in 1971 the villa entered a long period of decline. Famous artists no longer counted among the guests and the building’s fabric became unkempt. Why this state of affairs should have come to pass I do not know. Presumably it was the old story: the heirs lost interest in their beautiful family mansion and spent their domestic lives elsewhere.

By 2015 the situation was dire. An ideas to turn the Royal villa into a luxury hotel was inappropriate. How could a listed building with large frescoed rooms be an appropriate conversion? Luckily a young Swiss couple who had fallen in love with this beautiful residence stepped in. They bought it and spent a fortune bringing the sleeping beauty back to life and returning its gorgeous features as one of Lucca’s finest sights.

Enlivened with events such as the one we attended the future of La Villa Reale is assured and the ghosts of, among other ladies, Elisa and Letitia must surely be laid to contended rest.

For more information about the Villa Reale and events there visit its web site at https://villarealedimarlia.it/