THE VILLA COLLODI, PESCIA 
PLATES 26, 27, 28 
EAR the village of Pescia, some six miles to the east of the town of Lucca, 
stands the great Villa Collodi, 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 
( 6 7 ) 
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