Major cultural and artistic locations in Pisa are within reach: the Square of Miracles with the famous Leaning Tower, the Cathedral and the Baptistery is only about 3 km from the villa — eight minutes by car. The Galileo Galilei international airport and the railway station, allowing you to reach Florence and Lucca speedily for one-day trips, are equally close.
A few kilometres and you are at the seaside: Marina di Pisa with its new port, Tirrenia, the Versilia coast, Torre del Lago and the exclusive beach of Forte dei Marmi. Barbaricina is also adjacent to Tuscany's largest natural park, the Migliarino San Rossore Massaciuccoli Park, extending for thousands of hectares between the provinces of Pisa and Lucca. Visitable on foot, by bicycle and on horseback, the park houses the San Rossore Racecourse — famous for the Italian horse racing golden age.
The stud farms of Barbaricina — known as "the land of horses" — produced legendary thoroughbreds. Andreina, the celebrated winner of the first Italian gallop derby in 1884, came out of the Rook stud farms, just as Goldoni, the winner of the 1896 derby. The prestigious Thomas Rook Grand Prix and Barbaricina's main street are named after the stud farms' founder. The villa's front, overlooking the garden, bears the stud farms' motto "let not advantage slip", taken from one of Shakespeare's poems.
