Massoni Palace, Renaissance palace in Via dell'Angelo Custode, Lucca, Italy
Massoni Palace is a Renaissance building in central Lucca featuring a private garden with four raised square flower beds arranged in an orderly pattern. Low walls border these beds and display decorative mosaic pebbles and marble masks, while a fountain with a female figure and two eagles occupies the garden's center.
Giovanni Controni commissioned the palace construction in 1668 as a Renaissance-era residence for his family. The property later passed to the Massoni family in the early 1800s, eventually taking on the name by which it is known today.
The garden displays Renaissance design principles through its geometric paths and decorative marble masks that reflect how the wealthy understood beauty of that era. The central fountain featuring a female figure flanked by two eagles represents a focal point visitors naturally notice when walking through the space.
The palace sits in central Lucca, making it easy to reach on foot while exploring other historical sites in the area without requiring long walks. Visitors can incorporate this location into a walking tour of the old city to see multiple significant places in one outing.
The garden walls combine mosaic pebbles, bricks, and marble decorations in an intricate pattern that extends to a basin set against three perimeter walls. This careful craftsmanship reflects unusual attention to decorative detail for a private garden space that many visitors might overlook.
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