Mimì Pecci-Blunt and her Famous Guests

Come back in time with us to meet her guests as they enjoy the Park and Villa on a lazy summer’s day!

Sunday 6th June 2021 10am till 5pm

Mimì Pecci-Blunt and her Famous Guests:

Join us on a special summer Sunday to celebrate the life of Anna-Laetitia Pecci-Blunt, owner of Villa Reale from 1923 till her death in 1971.

Mimì, as she was known to her friends, restored the Villa and the garden and its follies, bringing them back to life after 100 years of neglect. Then she invited her famous friends to stay! She spent her life moving between her salons in Paris, Rome, New York and Marlia became her summer residence. As an international art collector and ambassador, photographer and collage artist she supported artists such as Jean Cocteau, Picasso, Salvador Dalì, Poulenc, Braque, Paul Valéry, Moravia, Diaghilev and his Ballets Russes and introduced the young Italian artists to the world.

Come back in time with us to meet her guests as they enjoy the Park and Villa on a lazy summer’s day. Her black and white photos will be transformed into Tableaux Vivants around the park. The guided walks will inform you of Mimì’s life and the lives of the myriad of famous guests!

Guided Walks (approximately 30 minutes each):

Maximum number of 20 participants. Meeting point under the old magnolia tree in front of Villa Reale. Booking necessary after prebought entrance ticket – phone +39 0583 30108

11am and 3pm.

1885 to 1923 – Mimì’s early life and her marriage to Cecil Blunt in 1919. Their Parisian salon with Cocteau, Picasso, Braque, Diaghilev and his Ballets Russes.

12pm and 4pm

1923 to 1936 – The purchase of Villa Reale at Marlia. The golden years with Dalì, Alberto Moravia, the Windsors and Gianni Agnelli. Costume Balls to remember!

1.30pm

The life of Jacques Gréber, internationally acclaimed landscape artist and his work on the restoration and amplification of the Park.

4.30pm

The Perfumed Way, a walk following the history of the fragrances in the garden.