Museo della Versilia

Libeskind’s Museo della Versilia is designed on the grounds of the Villa Borbone in Capezzano-Pianore, a monumental landmark and prominent example of an 18th-century royal residence in the Lucca area. The extensive park surrounding the complex designed in the late 19th-century is considered a botanical highlight of the Versilia coast. In 2022, the villa and its park became the Educa International School, which commissioned the museum.

Museo della Versilia blends contemporary architecture with the extraordinary landscape, envisioning a comprehensive master plan for the revitalization of the park, aiming to create a cultural and tourist hub for the area. The project begins with an “exhibition trail” of interconnected pathways winding through the wooded section of the park, along which a series of public sculptures will be displayed. The paths conclude at two adjoining buildings, one the museum and the other a multipurpose space, which face each other and are connected by a zigzagging canopy, providing a protected portico between them.

The two volumes follow the contours of the land, and their characteristic materials—wood-clad walls and green roofs—blend into the surrounding natural environment. The project’s three elements—museum, multipurpose hall, and portico—are arranged in a circle with an outdoor auditorium at its center. The museum is designed to accommodate temporary exhibitions of varying scale and type, and the multipurpose hall is meant as a contemporary extension of Educa International School.