Today very few of the original varieties remain outside Sant'Andrea di Compito so this botanical heritage, together with the availability of water, ideal climate and appropriate landscape of a terrace on the slopes of Monte Serra, presented an opportunity to create a world class garden of excellence with educational interpretation for visitors.

[4] Every spring, the Camilieto and villas in Sant'Andrea di Compito host the Exhibition of the Ancient Camellias of Lucca which attracts up to 10,000 visitors over its four weekends duration.

Documents from the thirteenth century record public auctions, business negotiations, religious ceremonies and social gatherings taking place here, governed by the ordinances of the leaders of the community posted on the door of the Palazzo del Commissario.

This building, now practically unrecognizable, was located on the north side of Parliament Square and was, until 1800, the office of a Commissioner sent by Lucca to manage local administration and to deliver justice (except for the death penalty.)

Over the centuries it was repeatedly abandoned, then partially restored, used as a school, a warehouse, a cafe (the Caffe del parlamento), a ballroom, a puppet theater and a performance space for local amateur dramatics.

Later, the purchase of part of Parliament Square by the owner of the villa gave space for a garden that still holds rare specimens of ancient camellias and other plant varieties, including a significant Osmanthus fragrans.

In addition to serving as the bell tower for the adjacent ancient Church of San Pietro al Forcone, the tower had to play an important military role for the local area, acting as part of the defensive system that included the castles located on the Castello and Castellaccio hills and the fortified compounds of the churches of Sant'Andrea di Compito and San Giovanni Batista in Pieve di Compito.

The different architectural features found in the upper parts of this monument dating back to the 14th century seem to suggest that the building was damaged during one of the many wars which ravaged the surrounding area.

There are a few seventeenth-century maps held at the Luca State Archives which confirm this statement, along with several available documents that testify to the existence of a team of guards at the tower.

According to local legend, the heads of executed criminals were put on display as "a warning to the people" in an iron cage fixed above the entrance door: Matraia also describes this macabre custom in his Guida della Diocesi di Luca (Guide to the Diocese of Lucca) from 1859-60.

[10] A manuscript from the census of 1412 shows the church, the bell tower; the rectory and the cemetery surrounded by a fortified wall, inside of which was a house, a vineyard, as well as several olive and fruit trees.

In 1638, the building was embellished with a panelled ceiling, a copy of the one found in the church of San Romano, Lucca, featuring gilded and painted wooden rose windows.

The census of 1412 mentions the church with its bell tower, the rectory, the cemetery and the cloister in the middle of a plot of land used for growing vines with a vegetable garden and four olive trees.

Today, the centre organises cultural, sports and charity initiatives ranging an olive oil fair to photography, theatre and music events.

In addition to Mario Pieri, mentioned above, Roman Catholic writer and poet Maria Valtorta took refuge and worked in Sant’Andrea di Compito during 1944.