The Garden of Palazzo Pfanner

Garden spaces in Lucca are treasures. They are especially important for those of us who live in small apartments without outdoor space of our own. Public gardens, and private ones open to visitors, provide the opportunity to sit quietly on a bench, to enjoy the peaceful beauty of trees and flowers, or to just breath in and out, finding respite from a busy day. 

Even better if the garden sits behind a historic palazzo, surrounds a fountain spraying water high into the air, and offers views over the graceful arches of the limonaia onto Lucca’s walls above. 

The limonaia in the garden of Palazzo Pfanner

The garden of Palazzo Pfanner in Lucca is just such a spot. A private garden, it is open to visitors for a small fee. It has long been one of my favorite outdoor spaces, a perfect spot to read a book, daydream, relax, and enjoy the blooms that change from spring to summer to fall. It is also a wonderful spot to listen to a small concert or enjoy a variety of events that take place at the palazzo.

Last spring and summer the garden was closed for major renovations. It has now reopened, refreshed and ready for visitors once again.

The newly planted grass is edged with irises and rose bushes. In mid-May, the scent of roses filled the garden.

The highlight of the garden for me arrives in late May and early June when the Hydrangeas bloom. Their colors, ranging from white to pink to pale purple, all set off by bright green foliage, are stunning. They are one of the garden’s best offerings and I was happy to find that after last year’s work they remained undamaged and in place, lining walkways and walls and filling the garden with color.

Many other of the garden’s best offerings remain in their original places too – the stands of bamboo which create shady alleys and hidden corners, the towering Magnolia tree, the large terra cotta pots of lemon trees, the classic statues, and the old walls that surround the garden.

One nice change is the addition of QR codes to the plant identification markers. Click on the code for a link to information about the roses, hydrangeas, camellias, and magnolias.

Only one change left me a little sad. The run down, unrestored small brick barn area that once stored beer barrels (back when the palazzo was a beer garden) has been restored. The old brick walls have been plastered over and the area now houses a new bathroom and storage. I miss the look and history of the old rustic barn (old, left, and new on the right below). But that’s a small hiccup in this otherwise spectacular garden.

What a joy it was to once again sit in this garden! (I can’t resist a few more hydrangea photos)

The Colors of May

The month of May is the perfect time to be in Tuscany. April’s rains are mostly gone. The skies vary from clear, deep blue to blue studded with white clouds. Temperatures are mild and a bit breezy. Mornings and evenings are cool but the afternoons are warm but not yet hot. We are still having some rain, but the showers are brief and not nearly as chilling as the April storms.

Other than a few lamentations about allergy season, everyone is out and about in Lucca enjoying the beautiful, mild days. It’s a joy to sit outside in a cafe or restaurant or to sit and watch happy children ride the carousel. 

Best of all, the last few weeks have seen an explosion of color in Lucca. The roses are especially gorgeous, with large rows of them blooming in parks and public spaces. 

Flowers fill containers in piazzas, spill from window boxes, bloom in private gardens, and decorate balconies. Stands of star jasmine arch along doorways and walls or climb above terraces, filling the streets with the wonderful scent of jasmine.

 The wildflowers are my favorite. I love the ones that have found homes in the crevices of old stones. The delicate flowers blooming all along the walls of the fosso (the canal that runs along one of Lucca’s streets) are delightful. 

Wildflowers along the fosso

May days are perfect for long walks and discovering Lucca’s hidden corners, especially the ones filled with flowers.

Verde Mura Is Where Spring Gardens Begin

Some recurring events serve to mark time, shepherding in a new year or a new season.  One such event in Lucca is the annual spring garden show, Verde Mura. 

Each April, Verde Mura takes place atop the walls that surround Lucca.  Just about anything one wants for a garden – whether garden means a small herb patch, several long rows of vegetables, a bed full of flowers, or a small stand of fruit trees – is available.  

With garden art and assorted crafts on display, there is little need to look elsewhere for spring garden inspiration.

This year - surprise - there were chickens and one very loud rooster !

Readers of this blog may recognize scenes from Verde Mura because I’ve written about it in past years.   But the event always seems to bring something new, not to mention it really does mark the beginning of spring for me, and so each year I go, camera in hand, learning about everything from heirloom beans to new varieties of tulips and daffodils.  

Sadly, I don’t have space for a garden in my tiny Lucca apartment. I can sometimes manage a few potted herbs, but that’s about all.  Despite that, I always come home with at least a gorgeous bunch of flowers, some treats from the food vendors (this year delicious black pepper and almond taralli), and the joy of having spent a few hours on a spring morning up on Lucca’s walls immersed in the colors and scents of the Verde Mura. 

Brenta Canal Part 4: Villa Foscari (Malcontenta)

The final stop on our day-long journey along the Brenta Canal was at Villa Foscari, the closest to Venice of the three villas on the itinerary. 

Vintage drawing of Villa Foscari

The villa rests in an enchanting spot along the canal – with a private landing spot, wonderful views, large lawns, willow trees, and carefully tended gardens. 

 Villa Foscari is the oldest of the three villas visited on our one day canal cruise.  It was built between 1554 and 1557 with an entirely different architectural and decorative style. Compared to the grand ballrooms and ornate details of Villas Pisani and Widmann  (both built in the 1700’s), the Villa Foscari feels much more serious, more subtle, more lived in, and also a bit more mysterious.

Living room, just off the entry, Villa Foscari. Pretty cozy!

 The villa was designed by Andrea Palladio and is considered one of his masterpieces.   It has many typical features of Palladian design. The front facade is a symmetrical 3 stories with a grand front portico. There are classical details - massive columns, a triangular pediment, and dual external staircases all leading to the piano nobile (top photo).  There are few decorative details on the exterior, also typical of Palladian architecture. The villa could easily be mistaken for an ancient Roman temple. The architecture also takes into consideration the building’s position in the landscape, so the views can be appreciated from both the front and rear of the building. 

Rear facade, Villa Foscari, with an ancient wisteria vine. Less classical in design than the front facade, but still beautiful, this would have served as an entrance for the villa’s staff. It is actually the first glimpse of the villa when walking from the boat dock.

Vintage drawing of the front facade and floor plan of Villa Foscari

 Palladio designed and built Villa Foscari for brothers Nicolò and Alvise Foscari.  The brothers were members of the Venetian upper class and descendants of Francesco Foscari, the longest serving Venetian Doge ( he ruled Venice from 1423 to 1457).  This was an important family and the villa reflects that. The interior of the villa was designed with the brother’s needs in mind - there are two symmetrical apartments, one for each brother, separated by the common space of the impressive entry. 

 Inside, the entry hall is expansive with vaulted ceilings, exquisite frescoes, and sunny windows flanked by perfect reading nooks looking out over the rear of the house.  The other rooms on piano nobile are simply furnished but decorated with wonderful frescoes and details. 

 It is a spectacular yet comfortable and warm home.   If I lived here, I would be hard pressed to ever tear myself away from the reading nook.  A cup of tea, a good book (perhaps one of the ones written by the current owner on the history of the villa), and those views! And then maybe a walk through the gardens.

At the far side of the entry, this windowed reading nook looks out over the landscape.

 The air of mystery surrounding the villa is what gives rise to its other name – The Villa Malcontenta.  The legend (as recounted by our tour guide) is that one of the Foscari brothers married later in life to a very beautiful, vivacious, and young woman.  As his business activities meant long stretches away from Venice, the young wife found ways to amuse herself - parties, balls, and young men!   Her older husband was not pleased and so he banished her from the social whirl of Venice to his estate along the Brenta Canal where she would spend her life away from the temptations of Venice, in relative isolation.  Her nickname, La Malcontenta, means the unhappy one.  Today, the villa itself is often referred to as Villa Malcontenta.  A sad name for such a beautiful home.

One of several gardens on the property.

looking down into one of the gardens from the front portico.

 As was the case for so many of the Brenta Canal villas, the Foscari family was forced to sell the property after the fall of Venice.  The estate fell into ruin in the 1800’s and stood mostly empty until restoration work began towards the end of that century.   Both the villa and the gardens were restored after its purchase in 1926 by a trio of wealthy friends.  After that the estate changed hands several times, always as a private home.  In 1973 it was purchased by Count Antonio Foscari, returning it to the ownership of Foscari family.   Antonio Foscari is both an architect and an expert on Palladian villas, the perfect person (along with his architect wife) to restore and preserve the villa.  The villa remains a private home but is also open to tours.  It was certainly a highlight on our one day cruise along the Brenta Canal.

The villa sits along the Brenta Canal and is surrounded by lawns, gardens, trees and wonderful views.

 After visiting Villa Foscari, we headed off across the lagoon and entered Venice itself.  Wandering a bit though the city we stopped for cicchetti at Cantina Do Spado and then wandered our way back to the train station. After that it was a short train ride back to our base in Padova. A perfect end to a fascinating day. 

Arriving in Venice after cruising the Brenta Canal.

Brenta Canal Part Two: The Villa Pisani

The Villas along the Brenta Canal were built between the 16th and 18th century.  Some were built for agriculture and commerce but many as summer getaways for rich and powerful Venetians.  They lined the canal between Venice and the city of Padova, forming an extension of Venice that became known as the “Brenta Riviera”. 

A beautifully decorated hallway in Villa Pisani

The front entrance to Villa Pisani

The villas were designed to impress.  Their ornate trimmings, art filled halls, grand ballrooms, and sweeping gardens played host to Doges, Popes, Kings, Emperors, artists and wealthy merchants during the height of the Venetian Empire.   After the fall of Venice, in 1797, with the arrival of Napoleon, many of the villas changed hands, often due to the financial problems of the owners. 

Today some villas are in disrepair (imagine the costs of upkeep!), some are abandoned, some have been converted into museums, restaurants or hotels. Others are privately owned. A few of the most spectacular ones are open to the public.

The villas can easily be visited by car, but a more elegant (though much slower) way to tour the villas is to arrive by burchiello – a modern version of the historic boats that once moved people and goods along the canal. That is exactly what a group of friends and I did recently.  The boat trip from Padua to Venice took about 9 hours, with stops at 3 villas along the way.  The visits included a guide who shared the history of each villa, details about the art and architecture, and some good 16th – 18th century gossip about villa life.

The first villa on the itinerary was Villa Pisani.  Built to celebrate the election of Alvise Pisani as the 114th Doge of Venice, the villa is the crown jewel of the Brenta Riviera.  The Pisani family owned the villa until it was sold to Napoleon in 1808.  

The villa is remarkable in many ways.  First, its size.  The place is massive!  The 144 rooms are said to represent the number of Venetian Doges up to Pisani.  One room is filled with wall mounted sculptures of the head of each doge.  Look carefully on the wall to the right to find the likeness of Alvise Pisani.   

The Pisani’s must have loved to entertain, because their ballroom is nothing short of spectacular.  The room shimmers with gold trimmings.  High above is an ornate balcony which rings the room – a place for the musicians to play.  And the ceiling! The ceiling fresco is by Tiepolo and it is a marvel. The ballroom is the truly the elegant heart of the villa. Standing here you can almost hear the music playing and can imagine the finely clothed Venetians enjoy a luxurious party.

The visit to the villa includes the piano nobile where a series of rooms are filled with history.  There is the bedroom where King Vittorio Emanuele II slept (left below).  Next door, the room of his second wife, the Contessa di Mirafiori, with a reproduction of one of her dresses (right).

The room dedicated to music and the elegant sala di pranzo (dining room) face out onto the immaculate grounds and the stable (shown below at the end of the reflecting pool and looking very much like another villa).

Napoleon only spent one night here, but he left the villa in the hands of his stepson, Eugene de Beauharnais, Viceroy of Italy.  The Viceroy lived there with his wife, adding fireplaces for heating (most of the Brenta Villas were not heated as they were intended to be summer homes), and creating a chapel, a study and a games room.  The study is where a later historic meeting between Mussolini and Hitler took place prior to World War II.

A peak at the grounds outside the villa. I’ll need a return visit to explore the gardens!

The grounds are equally impressive.  The 30 acres contain a large reflecting pool, stables, an orangery, ice house, and a labyrinth.

Is it true that Napoleon got lost in the labyrinth?  It is said that he did but, to use the Italian phrase, chissà (who knows)?  

The only drawback to our guided visit is that we did not have any time in the gardens.  I will need to go back and wander those beautiful spaces.

Today the Villa and surrounding park is a National Museum.  

The Villa is open from 31 March to 30 September this year, 9 am – 8pm (last admission 1 hour before closing), closed on Mondays.  The labyrinth is currently closed for restoration.

 Coming soon – Part 3, Villa Widmann

 Website: villapisani.beniculturali.it

Email: info@museovillapisani.it

Cost €12 villa + park, €6 park only