Villa Garzoni and its Garden in Collodi
The splendid building with its Italian-style garden where the author of Pinocchio also lived
Villa Garzoni and its Garden are located in Collodi, in the municipality of Pescia: the father of Carlo Lorenzini, the inventor of Pinocchio, also worked here as a gardener, after spending his childhood here, and chose Collodi as the pseudonym with which he signed his book.
The Villa, known as the villa "of a hundred windows", is still intact and has ancient origins: in fact, it was in the 14th century that the noble Garzoni family, originally from Pescia, bought what was called the Castle, but it was not until the 17th century that work was carried out to enlarge and modify the Villa and the splendid Garden.
The first indisputable record of the Villa dates back to 1633, when Marquis Romano Garzoni signed a project to enlarge the palace, while the Garden was extended with Italian-style terracing as early as 1652. The impressive work took 170 years to complete and the final layout, as well as the splendid Summer Palace, are the work of brilliant Lucca-born architect Ottaviano Diodati, who also added the water features that can still be admired in the Garden today.
The Garden, which opens up like a marvelous theater, with triumphant water features and largepools, can be placed alongside the great Italian and European gardens, with which it expresses grand post-Renaissance ideals, rigorous geometric structures softened by the greenery, the dewy grace of the flowers and the comic, epic and fantastic elements of statues, masks and fountains.
Losing yourself among the wonders of this place is an absolutely unforgettable experience filled with fantasy and, according to an ancient tradition, a visit here brings good luck to people in love: walking through the garden’s maze is a symbolic allusion to the lifelong journey they will go on together.
For information on accessibility: regione.toscana.it
