Lucca, the only city in Tuscany not to fall under the patronage of Florence remained independent and flourished until Napoleon’s defeat. The French Emperor, after conquering half of Italy, decided to give Lucca to his sister, Elisa Bonaparte Baciocchi

Princess Bonaparte chose as her personal residence the splendid villa di Marlia, which therefore became Villa Reale (Royal Villa) The villa, surrounded by a beautiful large garden, is part of a series of villas, each more beautiful than the last, that the nobility of Lucca had built between 1500 to 1700 on the hills near the city. At the beginning of the nineteenth century the high society of all of Europe met in the villas, eager to be part of that “Dolce Vita” which existed around the nearby, recently restored, thermal springs of Montecatini.

Several of the largest villas are available for rent for parties and weddings; some of the smaller ones in the countryside of the Lucchesi hills, have been converted into elegant venues with swimming pools.

Now a day, the Dolce Vita moved directly in Versilia, onto the shores of Forte dei Marmi, which became a sort of new Cote Azur for Russian bilioners Ξ Read / Close Full Article Ξ