Villa Ducloz-Dianola, Lucca

Villa Ducloz-Dianola is a distinguished Art Nouveau residence located on Matteo Civitali Street in the San Marco district of Lucca. Designed in 1903 by the architect Gaetano Orzali at the request of Luigi Ducloz de Piazzoni, the villa remains one of the city's most significant examples of early 20th-century architecture. Orzali, the son of builder Modesto Orzali, was active in Tuscany until 1915 before relocating to Genoa, where he established his professional studio.

By 1910, Emilio Dianda owned the villa and, in 1911, added polychrome majolica with rhomboidal motifs to match the main facade. He also expanded the stable and built a greenhouse. In 1939, surveyor Aristide Berrettini designed a rear extension, also commissioned by Dianda.

The villa features an elegant two-story design within a lush garden on Viale Civitali, known as "Via delle Ville" for its early 20th-century homes. Its standout elements include a vertical section on the west facade, a central body with a hexagonal veranda, two side entrances, and five wrought iron-adorned windows.

The roof combines flat and pavilion sections with Marseille tiles. The main facade of Via Civitali has two first-floor windows and a central door opening to a terrace above the veranda. Polychrome majolica decorates the upper windows and eaves, while the entrance features a floral Art Nouveau motif inspired by sunflowers. Symmetrical decorations accent the corners, and the west side is enclosed by a wrought iron railing.

The villa’s elevations feature aligned windows and a north-side French window leading through a pergola to a domed structure with columns. The garden, rich in architectural elements, once had two monumental trees. While the Araucaria araucana was removed before 2000, a majestic red beech with a four-meter circumference still enhances the villa’s historical charm in Lucca.