About 300 villas are nestled in the hills between Pisa and Lucca. In 1805 the Villa Reale di Marlia was “created” by Napoleon’s sister, Elisa Bacciochi Bonaparte. She united the beautiful 16th century Villa Orsetti and the 17th century Bishop’s palace into a harmonious ensemble. While the villa is private, its gardens are stunning and merit an hour-long stop when passing through this province. When I visited in late fall, there were over 150 lemon trees basking in the last rays of sun before being moved to the limonaia for the winter.

The “Teatro di Verzura”, or green theater, is particularly fascinating. Built in 1652, it is formed completely by greenery and was the backdrop for many a royal play. It is formed by yew hedges that surround stone seats, which are arranged in a semi-circle. Other seats for spectators are situated in the boxes, with niche windows cut out of the semi-circular hedge. The line separating the audience from the stage takes the form of a green curtain and a sequence of spherical bushes imitating footlights. At the center, between the stage and the orchestra pit, are two topiary forms representing the conductor’s podium and the prompter’s box.

The villa has hosted many famous visitors, including the violinist Paganini and the American painter John Singer Sargent, who did watercolors of the gardens.

Unlike the Villa Reale, the 16th century Villa Torrigiani is open to the public. Before entering, spend some time strolling through the English-style park. The avenue leading up to the villa is graciously lined with 700 century-old cypress trees. The northern façade is a late Renaissance masterpiece, characterized by a large Tuscan portico. The southern façade (pictured below) was rebuilt in the 17th century, probably modeled on Versailles, where the owner was Lucca’s ambassador to the court of Louis XIV. It represents the best example of Baroque architecture in Tuscany, with many colors that result from the use of a variety of materials: stone grey and tuff alternating yellow pillars and arches, white marble statues, and ochre plaster at the bottom with the upper part in white.

The interior of the villa is richly adorned with friezes and baroque ornaments that are interspersed with numerous lovely paintings, many of the Dutch school. The two staircases and rounded walls are breathtaking, both for their design and for the effect of the overhead lighting which enhances the whole.

Just a few minutes’ drive from Villa Torrigiani, nestled in a corner of the Lucchesi hills with a stunning panorama of vineyards, olive groves and villas, sits our lunch stop. Call ahead (+39 0583 978194) to Azienda Agricola Maionchi and request seating outside, weather permitting. Simple, gracious service and very memorable salumi stand out in my mind from our two-hour pranzo. Maionchi’s pork products come from pigs fed a diet that includes chestnut flour – maybe that is what lent the extra depth of flavor to the prosciutto!