Villa Bottini - Set in a charming garden, Villa Bottini lies outside the old medieval town walls just two steps from San Gervasio and Protasio Gate and the moat, which marked the boundaries of the old town. Villa Bottini or rather Villa Buonvisi - Bottini, to the remind of the Buonvisi family who had this villa erected in the mid 16th century and kept it as their property until the beginning of the 1800. Once Girolamo Buonvisi, the last heir, had died, Elisa Buonaparte acquired it. Unfortunately, she could not enjoy the building for very long, since already in 1814, she had to leave Lucca because of the events linked to her brother Napoleon.

On Metternich`s order, the "Mansion of the Garden" became Sebastiano Andreozzi-Motroni`s estate who gave it in dowry to his daughter Marianna, Lorenzo Bottini`s spouse. Marianna, being a musician and a literate woman, gained the villa back to its ancient splendour when it became a literary salon where also Niccolò Paganini was one of the guests.

Afterwards the villa was handed on to several different owners. Eventually it was closed and neglected for a long time, until the Region of Tuscany and the Municipality of Lucca acquired its ownership in the mid seventies. The town hall provided for an accurate restoration which has brought the villa back to the condition we can admire today. At present, it houses some municipal offices, even if its main use is to be the grand scenario for important happenings. In the Summer several cultural and musical events there take place pleasantly enlivening the evenings of the town of Lucca.

A surrounding wall protects the villa without entirely blocking the sight of the high plants or of some suggestive spots of its garden thanks to the opening on it of several stone-carved windows Lucca style. The villa has a rectangular plan. It is disposed on two floors plus the basement and a slanted roof dominated by a covered loggia with architraved columns and niches. On both façades, there are two ample external staircases. They lead to the main central hall, entirely covered with frescoes, which is in communication with many more rooms also rich in decorations: the Room of Science, the Room of Diana, of Venus, of the Virtues whose trompe-l`oeils widen their perspectives and increase their charm. They are ascribed to the hand of Ventura Salimbeni from Siena who painted and decorated them at the end of the 18th c.

The ample gallery hall with the barrel vault enriched with twelve lunettes is also a charming work. On the north side of the garden we must point out the precious nimphaeum accredited to Buontalenti, the Renaissance architect, in consideration of a similar work he executed in the Boboli Gardens of Florence. This work holds a great architectural value. It is made of three frontal openings (two side architraved arches and a central barrel arch) on whose top there is a balustrade with ornaments of classic taste. ... from "Lucca" (Apt Lucca)