Villa in Lucca

In the 1330, after the death of Castruccio Castracani, who had ruled over Lucca under the protection of the German emperor, the owner of this exclusive villa in Lucca commissioned the Luccan architect to built an unique luxury villa with an entrace hall pianted in trompe-l'oeil highlighted by a delicately-colored glass chandelier, and a garden with sophisticated succession of terraces linked by a series of monumental staircases streches up the hillside in symmetrical patterns, on either side of the central axis commanding the whole composition. Today this prestigious villa in Lucca is completely finished and restored with originaly materials. Higher up of the villa in Lucca, straight ramps border a cascade where water leaps and bounds over mossy rocks and rough stones and runs down the slope past two enormous stone. From this spot looking down over the cascade, a stunning vista framed by trees reveals the parterres of the lower garden and extends towards the outline of the near-by hills. The walls of the hallway are covered with a complex architectural decor in trompe l'oeil which creates an irresistible illusion of the unending space by the repetition ofmock vaults and the expert handling of perspective. The Luccan Baroque style juxtaposed real sculputure and trompe-d'oeil: a marble cherub on the banister faces a painted putto in the architectural decor. On the next level, there is a lovely gallery entirely painted with pale-green frescos representing antique ruins, still lifes and country landscapes.