Villa Borbone is found in Viareggio on the viale dei Tigli, in the centre of the Bourbon estate, known as archducal because it was inherited by the Lorraine family of Hapsburg.
The noble residence, surrounded by a large park, was built in the 19th century for the duchess of Lucca, Maria Luisa of the house of Bourbon, based on the designs of architect Lorenzo Nottolini.
The building, despite having undergone continuous and significant changes since its early years and throughout the 19th century, is a calculated and well-balanced palace, suitable for a country residence. The villa was never actually an official residence: it was originally used as a hunting lodge, then as a manor house for an agricultural estate and finally as a holiday home with a somewhat bourgeois spirit.
The palace comprises a main building over three floors which is next to the stables and the Chapel of Sepolcreto, rebuilt in 1885 by Giuseppe Pardini, using fine marble: this is where the sovereigns of Lucca and their descendants are buried. Among the tombs, the ones for Carlo III of Parma and Carl Ludivico of Lucca stand out.
Nowadays, the villa is used for exhibitions, conferences and special events and is the home of the Migliarino, San Rossore and Massaciuccoli Nature Reserve.
