THE VILLA COLLODI, PESCIA 



PLATES 26, 27, 28 ^ 



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EAR the village of Pescia, some six miles to the east of the town of Lucca, 

 stands the great Villa Coliodi, high up on the hill, with a small hamlet 

 behind, to which access is only obtained through the principal entrance of the 

 villa itself. The casino stands out boldly against the hillside, quite over- 

 powering the little feudal village behind, and surrounded by beautiful mountain 

 scenery, rich in olive woods and vineyards. Alderman Beckford, whilst touring 

 in Italy in 1780, thus describes the occasion of his visit to the villa: 'After 

 riding for six or seven miles from Lucca along the cultivated levels, we began to ascend a rough 

 slope overgrown with chestnut and ancient pomegranates. Leaving our horses at the great gate, 

 we passed through the spray of the fountains, and, mounting an endless flight of steps, entered 

 an alley of oranges, and gathered ripe fruit from the trees. Whilst we were thus employed, the 

 sun broke from the clouds, and lighted up the green of the vegetation ; at the same time spangling 

 the waters which pour copiously down a succession of rocky terraces and sprinkle the impending 

 citron-trees with perpetual dew. These streams issue from a chasm in the cliff surrounded by 

 cypresses, which conceal by their thick branches a pavilion with baths. Above rises a colossal 

 statue of Fame, boldly carved, and in the very act of starting from the precipices. A narrow path 

 leads up to the feet of the Goddess, on which I reclined, whilst a vast column of water, arching 

 over my head, fell without even wetting me with its spray, into the depths below.' 



It is difficult to obtain much information concerning the early history of the villa. During 

 the Middle Ages Collodi belonged to the see of Lucca, and is celebrated for its long siege by the 

 Florentines in the winter of 1430. The villa has always belonged to the Garzoni family. The 

 present casino and garden date from towards the middle of the seventeenth century, and were in 

 the height of their glory when Francesco Sbarra wrote his ode entitled ' The Pomps of Collodi ' 

 in 1652. 



The site of the villa is an extremely irregular one, and it is difficult to see the reason why 

 the casino should have been placed in its present position, instead of at the head of the garden. 

 The plan on Plate 26 is taken from an eighteenth-century survey. A deep gorge, spanned by a 

 covered bridge, separates the casino from its garden, which, having been constructed at a later date 

 is necessarily quite distinct. There is a tradition that the original design made provision for another 





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