Situated in San Pancrazio, on the hills surrounding Lucca, at the end of the 16th century Villa Oliva belonged to the Buonvisi family. The Montecatini family, the prince Carlo Poniatowski and the Rosselmini family owned the villa in the following centuries. The Rosselmini family finally donated it to the Giuseppe Benedetto Cottolengo`s "Piccola Casa della Divina Provvidenza" (an Italian charitable institution).

During World War II, the house and park were severely damaged, but at the end of the war engineer Oliva and his wife restored them.

The wonderful park surrounding the building is divided into three different areas: one is mainly an agricultural ground, whereas the others form the garden, decorated with statues and fountains under cypresses, carpines and holm-oaks and surrounded by laurel hedges.