Villa Ada is the result of the unification of two buildings belonging to the De Nobili family. According to the documents in the archives of the municipality of Bagni di Lucca, in 1558 the De Nobili family already owned the smallest of the two building and in 1622 they acquired the largest one, as well. In 1710, the two buildings had already been united.

Sir Mac Bean, the English consul in Livorno, bought the villa in 1870 and commissioned its renovation. The characteristic hexagonal towers were built in this period.

The wide romantic park surrounding the villa is decorated with numerous artificial grottos and wrought-iron parapets: architectonic elements in vogue at that time. The terrace adjacent to the villa commands the wonderful panorama of the underlying valley, whereas a path leads to a pergola and to a picturesque artificial grotto.