Discover Villa la Dogana in Lucca: historic residence of the Orsini Princes of Rome, once home to the customs post between the Duchy of Lucca and the Grand Duchy of Tuscany. B&B with breakfast, century-old parkland and a perfect location between Lucca and Pisa.
Few buildings tell the story of Tuscany with the same intensity as Villa la Dogana. It stands at Cerasomma, along the ancient Via Pisana, on the exact spot where for centuries the border ran between the Duchy of Lucca and the Grand Duchy of Tuscany — where travellers, goods and ideas were halted at the frontier customs post before continuing towards Lucca or Pisa.
The villa was the summer residence of the Orsini Princes of Rome, who chose this location for its countryside beauty and its proximity to two of Tuscany’s finest cities. Legend has it that the noble family had a small railway station built directly opposite the villa to ease their travel to Florence, Pisa and the Tuscan coast. The Lucca–Pisa railway opened in 1844, and Cerasomma was its critical crossing point: here two states met, and here the villa stood watch over all who passed.
Centuries of history have survived intact in the villa’s architecture: ancient terracotta floors, wooden beamed ceilings, restored family antiques. The park — with its ancient magnolias, holm oaks and beeches, its bamboo forest and the quiet nearness of the River Serchio — has barely changed across the centuries.
Today Villa la Dogana is a five-room B&B with buffet breakfast, run with genuine passion by Dany. Just 7 km from Lucca, 15 km from Pisa and with direct access to the railway line, it is the ideal base for exploring Tuscany — exactly as it was four centuries ago.