Villa Massei

The Umbraculum at Villa Massei

Villa Massei is a 16th-century hunting lodge and 60 acres estate in Massa Macinaia, near the ancient walled city of Lucca, Italy, known for its fine gardens, which are visited by hundreds of garden lovers from all over the world annually.[1]

The house was built by the Counts Sinibaldi in about 1500, and was inherited by the Marchesi Massei in the 18th century, nephews of the Sinibaldi. In the 1950s the property was home to Lionel Fielden, founder of All India Radio and author of The Natural Bent.[2] In 1981 Gil Cohen and Paul Gervais, both of Boston, bought the estate, and over the years have developed its garden, which "represents the best of old and new, an 'exquisite recreation' of a Renaissance garden, complete with lemon trees in terracotta pots, and inspired innovations introduced by its visionary new owners."[3]

Bibliography

References

  1. The Back Roads of Tuscany, William Sertl, Garden Design, October/November 1996, pp 78-81
  2. Fielden, Lionel (1960). The Natural Bent. London: Andre Deutsch.
  3. Renaissance Men, Penelope Hobhouse, Gardens Illustrated, June 2004, pp 48-55.

Further reading

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