The Surroundings of Lucca boast an unique "Villas Landscape". The Villas, or rather the palaces in villa, are historical country residences that the Lucchesi merchants built between the 15th and 19th centuries, investing the fruits of their business and banking activities in central Europe. More than three hundred Villas, large and small, are spread out over the arc of hills that both defines and brings to a close the geographical bounds of the Plain of Lucca. Among them: Villa Reale di Marlia, Villa Grabau, Villa Bernardini, Villa Oliva, Villa Mansi, Villa Borbone delle Pianore and Villa di Carmigliano.
during the Renaissance period the villas were both places for recreation and active agricultural enterprise closely linked to that production of silk which had made a fortune for the rich Lucchese merchants. Afterwards when they turned towards financial activities, the villas maintained an important economic role as financial guarantees of solvency. With the decadence of the Lucchese Republic, the villas exclusively became places of magnificence that bore witness to the prestige of its owners. In more recent times after the unification of Italy, you can note, especially in Versilia and the immediate surroundings of Lucca, the flourishing of new constructions in Art Nouveau style, private residences which respond to the needs of the new industrial society.

Lucca,



The Palazzo Mediceo of Seravezza is a residence of the Medici family and does not belong to the cultural framework of the Lucchese villas from the renaissance period . Infact, Seravezza, which is a very important centre for marble extraction, today belongs to the province of Lucca but was not part of it in the 1500's.
The building presents itself as a fortified palace and was to serve as a resting place for the Duke when he came to visit the caves.The building consists of three main bodies which mark the limits of a courtyard which is closed off by a wall on the south wing. The main entrance door is on the wall, which when opened, gives access to a courtyard with a portico and a well. The structure of the palace has a disguised defensive form i.e. the east and west wings jutt out from the north façade and the south wall of the courtyard almost forming towers, but they don't exceed the height of the remainder of the building. The palace is very sober in its composition. The use of marble in the cornices of the windows should not be considered a sign of splendour as there was an abundance of marble in Seravezza.
Today, the public library andthe Museum of work and popular traditions of historic Versilia Important contemporary and modern art exhibitions are also held here.
The work involved in the construction of this palace, comissioned by Cosimo I of the Medicea family, starter in 1561 and was completed in 1565. The identity of the architect is not clear. Buselli argues that Buontalenti was the architect responsible for the palace given strong similarities found in the later Villa di Artimino. However, Belli Barsali is inclined to believe that the architect is Ammannati due to the design of the cornices in the windows and the use of wide and narrow ashlars on the corners and the main entrance. Belli Barsali also highlights a similarity between the plan of the palace of Seravezza and that of palazzo Pitti, where Ammannanti worked between 1559 and 1568.
The palace hosts the Museum of work and popular traditions in the historic Versilia. The ticket price also includes access to the modern and cotemporary art exhibitons which are set up on the Nobile floor of the Palazzo Mediceo.