Villa Marlena 12 to 18

The villa is the focus of the gardens and of the visitors eye, a formal building at the heart of the gardens, surrounded by shaded pergolas, furnished terraces and spots to relax.

The villa

Indoors the care with which this historic building has been brought back to life is immediately apparent, with decorated floors of graniglia or handpainted tiles, wall paintings designed and executed by a local artisan, with a theme and a motif for each room, and enormously pleasing furniture built locally as designed by a Lucca architect. This is a home designed for the owners, with no expense spared and a light, joyful touch which makes it a pleasure to stay in; it certainly was a delight to visit.

An entrance hall leads into the living room which is at the heart of the villa, spacious, light-filled and beautifully decorated. Around the living room you will find a well-equipped kitchen, a dining room with beautiful wall paintings and a charming studio with a TV, books, and a bar. From this floor a lift can relieve you of the need to use the stairs, making the other floors easy to reach.

Upstairs a second living room mirrors the first, with three bedrooms surrounding it. One is very clearly the master, but all of the bedrooms are spacious and have their own ensuite bathroom.

On the second and last floor there is a third living room, again surrounded by three ensuite bedrooms. Here the decor has become more rustic and less formal, the floors are typical red terracotta tiles while the ceilings show the enormous wooden beams and rafters that support the roof. All these floors can be reached via the stairs or with the lift.

Downstairs there is a last floor, set under the villa, and it's a treasure trove of delights, with an indoor pool (that can be heated), a spa with a hammam and a jacuzzi, a wellness treatment room as well as a TV room and, delight of delights, a wine cellar with some excellent wines which you may choose for your meals. The wines and any spa treatments like massages carry an extra cost, but you can enjoy the spa and pool free of charge.

The podere

On the left as you enter the walled gardens of Villa Marlena is a Tuscan farming building, a podere. This building was the first to be restored as a base for the owners while they were overseeing the restoration of the villa. They made sure it was spacious and comfortable so that the restoration work on the villa could be as painstaking as they felt necessary, and they wouldn't feel rushed to complete.

Today this beautiful Tuscan building has three ensuite doubles upstairs, with a well-equipped kitchen and a living room on the ground floor, and can be booked together with the main villa, bringing the total occupancy to 18 guests. While the villa outshines the podere, this is a wonderful building in its own right and has been decorated and designed with the same attention to detail accorded to the main villa.

Il Forno

The last of the three buildings is a long building in the opposite corner to the podere and it is dedicated to entertaining. Perfect for wedding events, as lecture space or for gatherings.

The Gardens

The gardens deserve special mention as they are wonderfully designed, articulate, and have so many beautiful sections.

The main focus is the series of fountains that draw the eye from the villa towards the lake and fountain, then beyond it towards the towers of Lucca and the Appennines, visible in the distance. The fountains and water channels are framed by hedges and punctuated along their length by lemon trees, the very same trees that provide the crop for the Villa's own production of Limoncello.

To the left, looking out from the Villa, a white gazebo marks the wedding garden, the perfect setting for wedding photos, draped in white wysteria and framed by magnolia.

The gardens also have beautiful raised-bed vegetable beds providing fresh produce for the villa's table, as well as a tennis court, a playing field, the lake and or course, the swimming pool and its furnished surroundings. Behind the villa an unusual kiwi pergola provides welcome shade and, of course, produces fruit for the villa's jams and jellies.