Giardino Palazzo Pfanner

Garden Architecture and Layout

At the heart of the garden is an octagonal fountain, placed at the center of the main avenue that connects the Palazzo to the limonaia (lemon house). The limonaia, equipped with large windows interspersed with espaliered bitter oranges and laurels, has served for centuries as a winter shelter and protection for potted citrus plants.

Lining the central path, enhancing its depth, are elegant statues with allegorical and mythological themes. Perpendicular to this path, the rest of the garden features two 19th-century bamboo groves and two laurel cabinets. Both paths are lined with a considerable number of antique lemon pots, alternated with rose plants.

A Space of Harmony and Theatricality

With its squared hedges, marble statues, and fine surrounding architecture, the garden is an airy and balanced space that harmonizes with Lucca’s ancient walls and the nearby bell tower of the Basilica of San Frediano, creating a landscape of timeless beauty.

In the mid-19th century, the section of the garden facing the Palazzo became home to the craft brewery of Felix Pfanner, an Austrian brewer from Hörbranz. He arrived in Lucca following a 1845 decree by Duke Carlo Lodovico of Bourbon, who had requested “a skilled German beer maker” for the city and for himself.

During the restoration work completed in June 2025, funded by PNRR funds, a new lighting system was designed and implemented by Zr Light. The lighting design carefully respects the garden’s atmosphere and integrates modern technology to enhance key elements without overwhelming them.

Lighting Features and Placement

The system includes:

• Small bronze-colored towers placed along paths and lawns
• Adjustable spotlights on slender metal stems to illuminate statues
• Recessed linear lights in the ground to highlight the limonaia façade
• Camouflaged projectors on poles hidden in the laurel cabinets
• Mushroom-shaped fixtures aimed at the low vegetation

Rigid equidistant placement was intentionally avoided. Instead, a light and balanced highlighting strategy was chosen to enhance all key natural and architectural features subtly and effectively.

Seamless Smart Lighting with Casambi

The entire lighting system is controlled via Casambi technology, allowing for a seamless blend of various lighting scenes and intensities. The result is a soft, atmospheric glow that can be adjusted for special events or occasions, ensuring both flexibility and elegance.

To support the system, custom-designed plastic mini-towers were created to discreetly house the Casambi devices, which manage:

• DALI 24V drivers
• 230V ON/OFF power supplies (relays)
• Casambi signal repeaters

The setup runs entirely on a wireless network, and can also be controlled via Casambi-compatible wall-mounted push buttons for added convenience.

For the façade of Palazzo Pfanner, which includes DALI Tunable White projectors, a Salvador 1000/16 was implemented. This ensures a smooth and unified integration between the building’s façade lighting and the surrounding garden illumination.

With Casambi’s Salvador Series DALI Controllers, we’re breaking down the barriers of conventional DALI control by seamlessly merging wired DALI and Casambi wireless into a single, powerful, and intelligent ecosystem.