Villa Borbone, in the royal estate of Viareggio, stands on the viale dei Tigli that links the seaside city with the hamlet of Torre del Lago.
What to see
Conceived as a hunting lodge, it was built from 1821 by the court architect Lorenzo Nottolini for the Duchess of Lucca Maria Luisa of Bourbon-Spain: three separate three-storey buildings, with the central block meant as a gentleman's residence and the side ones for stables, storerooms and service housing. Built on a much reduced scale compared with the initial plans, it was enlarged in 1834 and, around 1850, the central villa was linked to the side wings; the garden, remodelled, covered thirty-six thousand square metres. From 1871 Margherita, wife of the Carlist claimant to the Spanish throne Carlos Maria de Borbón, lived there permanently: it was the period of the villa's greatest splendour, with a court of thirty-six people. After Margherita's death, in 1893, the villa passed to her daughter Bianca and took the name Villa Arciducale. It was later requisitioned by the Navy for the Balipedio and used by the military in both world wars, suffering looting and damage; returned to the heirs, in 1985 it was sold to Benvenuto Barsanti, who gave it to the Comune of Viareggio. In 1999 a project to restore and reuse the park began.
Of the interior there remain the main staircase and some rooms with sober fresco decoration or rich inlaid floors. The large park, cut by the viale dei Tigli, is today part of the reserve of the Migliarino-San Rossore-Massaciuccoli natural park, at the point called Lecciona. The small Sepulchral chapel, dedicated to Saint Charles Borromeo, is the best-known part: most of the Bourbon-Parma dukes are buried there, with the monumental tombs of Charles III and Charles II of Parma; its present appearance comes from the 1885 remodelling by Giuseppe Pardini, who used fine marbles outside and inside. Today the villa hosts exhibitions, conferences and concerts and is the seat of the Migliarino-San Rossore-Massaciuccoli Park Authority.
Visiting
The villa is on the viale dei Tigli, between Viareggio and Torre del Lago. According to the sources it is open to the public; hours and visiting arrangements are not given and should be checked.
Our editors' tip
In 2006 the villa hosted an exhibition on Galileo Chini's sets for Giacomo Puccini's operas and in 2007 one devoted to La bohème.
