Villa Webb
Renaissance villa at Bagni alla Villa with exhibition rooms: an armoury, a 16th-century kitchen, historic gaming tables and the Museo dell’Impossibile.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The villa was built between 1558 and 1570 by the Buonvisi, one of the richest merchant families of Lucca, enriched by the silk trade and banking. The coat of arms with the cardinal’s hat above the entrance portal commemorates the family’s three cardinals. When the Lucca branch died out, the property passed to the Montecatini, who sold it in 1812 to the Englishman John Webb, from whom it takes its present name; in the summer of 1822 Lord Byron also stayed here.
In 1978 the building was transferred to the municipality of Bagni di Lucca and restored. Since 2010 it has been entrusted to the Vicaria Val di Lima association, which has set up an exhibition route. The Renaissance architecture is distinguished by the rusticated portal, the moulded window frames and the large Italian-style garden on terraces.
On the ground floor there is an armoury with crossbows, arquebuses, swords, military equipment and period costumes, and a reconstruction of a 16th-century kitchen with its utensils. On the first floor a hall holds fifteen tables with games in use from the 16th century to today, with particular attention to those that enlivened the evenings of holidaymakers at the local Casinò; some of them can also be played. The top floor houses the Museo dell’Impossibile, a collection of unusual and mysterious objects.
Highlights
- Armoury with crossbows, arquebuses and swords
- Reconstructed 16th-century kitchen
- Hall with fifteen historic gaming tables
- Museo dell’Impossibile on the top floor
- Italian-style garden on terraces
Permanent exhibitions
- Armeria e cucina del Cinquecento – Weapons, period costumes and military equipment, plus a reconstructed 16th-century kitchen with old utensils.
- Giochi dal Cinquecento a oggi – Fifteen gaming tables with explanations of the games in use from the 16th century, including those from the old Casinò.
- Museo dell'Impossibile – Collection of unusual and mysterious objects on the top floor of the villa.
- Operated by
- Comune di Bagni di Lucca (gestione: Vicaria Val di Lima)
- Visitors per year
- approx. 1,500
Admission & discounts
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Accessibility
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Kids & families
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Getting there & parking
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Amenities & dining
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Events & venue rental
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Plan your visit
| Good to know | Open by reservation only, through the Vicaria Val di Lima or the information point of the Unione dei Comuni Media Valle del Serchio (infopoint@ucmediavalle.it). |
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