Villa Borrini – Sant’Andrea di Compito

The villa, in its current form, was built by the Orsi family in the first half of the 17th century.
The older complex had a different layout and was divided into two buildings, as recorded in a 1695 martilogio owned by the new proprietors, the Borrini family.

The villa’s garden was established by Francesco Maria Borrini in 1817, the same year the road leading to S. Andrea di Compito was completed. In 1830, his sons Angelo and Alessandro planted a large collection of camellias. This passion was especially nurtured by Angelo Borrini, an ophthalmologist and personal doctor to the Duke of Lucca, Carlo Lodovico di Borbone. With a deep love for this exotic plant and connections to the most renowned gardeners of the time, he continuously enriched the collection with rare and unique specimens.

Angelo’s dedication to camellias also led to the creation of new cultivars: the first, named “Oscar” after his son, was developed in 1835 and is described in the 1888 Scarlatti catalog (a medium-large, double flower with white petals marked by numerous red stripes and streaks). The “Ida Borrini” camellia, named after his daughter, was created in 1837 (a medium, double flower with white petals lightly streaked with pink).

This passion was passed down through generations—from his son Oscar, who took over care of the garden after Angelo’s death, to his granddaughter Eloisa in more recent times. Thanks to this legacy, the precious collection has been preserved and today includes around 70 different cultivars.

One of the rarest is the “Stella di Compito” (a medium-large, double flower with pale pink petals edged in white), once thought extinct. This cultivar was developed by Cavaliere Cesare Fianchetti in Florence and dedicated to the village of S. Andrea di Compito, a place dear to him.