4 – VILLA RINCHIOSTRA (ENG)

Built at the behest of Theresa Pamphili, wife of Duke Carlo II Cybo-Malaspina, Villa Rinchiostra, along with the other villas in the area, embodies the Baroque architectural style that characterized the Massa countryside during that period.

The villa was one of the ducal family’s country residences, initially used as a hunting estate and later as a stable for breeding the ducal horses.

Since 2015, this fascinating historic residence has housed the museum dedicated to Gigi Guadagnucci in its ground-floor rooms and basement — a collection of works that the renowned sculptor wished to donate to his hometown. More than forty sculptures, created between 1957 and 2002, trace the artistic journey of one of the last great masters of marble.

Like unexpected white presences, the sculptures surprise visitors, with their rich and highly varied forms exuding a sense of lightness that plays with and captures emotions in an enchanting dialogue with light.

Set within a vast park, Villa Rinchiostra is an architectural gem of rare beauty and understated elegance, a refined balance of shapes and colors: the whiteness of the marble contrasts with the warm pink hues of the plaster, blending harmoniously with the surrounding landscape, where the green of the park merges with the blue of the sky.