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Villa Garzoni, with its attached coeval monumental garden,
is situated at the foot of the ancient medieval village of Collodi, which
dates from the late 12th century. The villa, created for Romano Garzoni, was
started in the mid 17th century and built on the site of the ruins of the
ancient castle that once guaranteed the safety of the village at its rear.
Following the lay of the land, the villa, divided by a harmonious series of
windows, has four floors at the end towards the valley and three floors towards
the hill. It is very similar in style to the villas in the area of Lucca that
date from the same period. The structure of the garden is on a predominantly
geometrical design, where the perfect harmony between nature and art becomes
a unique whole, taking on an unreal and almost magical dimension. The garden
extends on a clearly defined symmetry compared to the house. A good view of
the entire structure of the villa, sprawling down the slope, can be seen from
the parterre. This contains two large circular pools with jets of water and
grottoes, the statues of Flora, the Faun, Diana, Bacchus, Apollo and Daphne,
while the plants and hedges, cut into wonderful examples of the art of topiary,
create a suggestive scenic background. A majestic double flight of steps,
whose supporting walls contain niches decorated with statues in terracotta,
gargoyles, fountains and plays of water, leads down from the parterre to the
various levels of the garden. A small open air green theatre, a bamboo forest
and a maze created with box hedges are situated close to the main road between
the villa and the garden itself, as well as a tiny double branched waterfall
that flows down from a small lake topped by the statue of Fame, Jove’s
bearer of good and bad news.
