Palazzo Mansi -for art in a merchant’s mansion

Lurking at the end of Lucca’s maze of medieval alleys is Palazzo Mansi, a 16th-century merchant’s mansion with a baroque interior. Decorated with much of the original furnishings, it is now home to the Museo e Pinacoteca Nazionale. Deities and allegorical figures romp across the ceilings of the splendidly furnished 17th-century home of Cardinal Spada (1659–1724). Upstairs, at the end of a sequence of rooms decorated around the theme of the Four Elements is a sumptuous bedchamber dedicated to Fire. This fire is not a destructive one, but the flame that burns when Eros strikes with his arrow. The room features a gorgeous double bed, its lovely hangings decorated with birds and flowers. The Pinacoteca (picture gallery) displays works by Tuscan, Venetian and Flemish masters.

Address: Palazzo Mansi, Via Galli Tassi 43, Lucca
Web: www.luccamuseinazionali.it/en/mansi/museo-nazionale-di-palazzo-mansi