Neoclassical Villa Grabau, 11km north of Lucca in San Pancrazio, sits among a vast parkland with sweeping traditional English- and Italian-styled gardens, splashing fountains, more than 100 terracotta pots with lemon trees and a postcard-pretty lemon house – host to fashion shows, concerts and the like – dating from the 17th century. It even has a clutch of self-catering properties to rent in its grounds should you happen to fall in love with the estate. Guided villa and garden visits last 45 minutes.
Villa Grabau
Northwestern Tuscany
Contact
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
15.19 MILES
One of Italy's signature sights, the Torre Pendente truly lives up to its name, leaning a startling 3.9 degrees off the vertical. The 58m-high tower,…
15.19 MILES
Pisa's magnificent duomo was begun in 1064 and consecrated in 1118. Its striking tiered exterior, with green-and-cream marble cladding, gives onto a…
5.4 MILES
Lucca's predominantly Romanesque cathedral dates from the 11th century. Its stunning facade was constructed in the prevailing Lucca-Pisan style and…
15.24 MILES
Pisa's unusual round baptistry has one dome piled on top of another, each roofed half in lead, half in tiles, and topped by a gilt bronze John the Baptist…
5.15 MILES
Lucca’s monumental mura (wall) was built around the old city in the 16th and 17th centuries and remains in almost perfect condition. It superseded two…
17.83 MILES
The bishops' palace, wedged next to the cathedral, provides a fascinating tour of Pistoia's urban history, ranging from touchable scale models of…
5.19 MILES
Fire the romantic in you with a stroll around this beautiful 17th-century palace where parts of Portrait of a Lady (1996), starring Nicole Kidman and John…
17.84 MILES
This cathedral with beautiful Pisan-Romanesque facade safeguards a lunette of the Madonna and Child between two angels by Andrea della Robbia. Its other…
Nearby Northwestern Tuscany attractions
0.51 MILES
In San Pancrazio, 11km north of Lucca, the gardens of Villa Oliva surrounding a 15th-century country residence designed by Lucchesi architect Matteo…
0.83 MILES
Elisa Bonaparte, Napoleon's sister and short-lived ruler of Tuscany, once lived in handsome Villa Reale, 7km north of Lucca in Marlia. The house isn't…
3. Museo Nazionale di Palazzo Guingi
4.95 MILES
Lucchese history from the 8th century BC to late 18th century AD is evoked through archaeological objects, paintings and other artworks at this small…
4. Lucca Center of Contemporary Art
5.05 MILES
Lucca's contemporary-art museum hosts some riveting exhibitions; check its website for details.
5.15 MILES
Lucca’s monumental mura (wall) was built around the old city in the 16th and 17th centuries and remains in almost perfect condition. It superseded two…
5.19 MILES
The bird's-eye view from the top of this medieval, 45m-tall red-brick tower adjoining 14th-century Palazzo Guinigi is predictably magnificent. But what…
5.19 MILES
Fire the romantic in you with a stroll around this beautiful 17th-century palace where parts of Portrait of a Lady (1996), starring Nicole Kidman and John…
5.25 MILES
Tucked across the walkway from the Baluardo San Regolo are Lucca's pretty botanical gardens, well worth a meander and a contemplative moment in the shade…