Villa Rossi was built in the early 1500s, on a design by Nicolao Civitali to welcome Kings, Popes and Emperors visiting the Republic of Lucca. During the 17th century the entire first floor was decorated with a series of baroque frescoes that are still in existence in their original form and extremely well preserved. The north-facing loggia is equally beautifully frescoed, from the same period.
Over the centuries, the Villa has been home to royalty, grand bankers, and intellectuals. From its first owners, Francesco Burlamacchi and the Duke of Amalfi, to Marianna Montecatini who in the 1790’s created the English romantic park that still surrounds the villa, to Count de Newerkerke and the Princesses Cantacuzene, who lived here in the late 1800s. Their portraits, as well as the many family heirlooms, still to be found throughout the Villa, tell the long and happy story of the Villa’s many historic inhabitants. Since the early 1900s Villa Rossi has belonged to the same family.
The Villa is surrounded by four hectares of beautifully walled private grounds, combining the delights of Tuscan garden landscaping, elegantly complimented with the allure of a classic Romantic English garden. The lawned grounds directly outside the Villa offer wonderful opportunity for aperitifs, or even a full outdoors dining experience.
