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TREASURES OF ITALY AND UNESCO One of UNESCO’s main objectives is identifying, protecting, safeguarding, andtransmitting the world’s cultural and natural heritage to future generations.Since the adoption of the Convention Concerning the Protection of the WorldCultural and Natural Heritage in 1972, to date, UNESCO has recognised 1073 worldheritage sites 832 cultural, 206 natural and 35 mixed properties) in 167 countries.Italy is the country with the largest amount of sites included in the World HeritageList and the “Treasures of Italy and UNESCO” collection takes readers on a journeyto admire its inimitable treasures of nature, art and architecture.

Rock Drawings in ValcamonicaChurch and Dominican convent ofSanta Maria delle Grazie with “TheLast Supper” by Leonardo da VinciHistoric Centre of FlorenceVenice and its LagoonPiazza del Duomo, PisaHistoric Centre of San GimignanoThe Sassi and the Park of theRupestrian Churches of MateraCity of Vicenza and the PalladianVillas of the VenetoHistoric Centre of SienaHistoric Centre of NaplesCrespi d’AddaFerrara, City of the Renaissanceand its Po DeltaCastel del MonteThe Trulli of AlberobelloEarly Christian Monumentsof RavennaHistoric Centre of the city of Pienza18th Century Royal Palace at Casertawith the Park, the Aqueduct ofVanvitelli and the San Leucio ComplexResidences of the Royal Houseof SavoyBotanical Garden, PaduaPortovenere, Cinque Terre and theIslands (Palmaria, Tino and Tinetto)Cathedral, Torre Civica and PiazzaGrande, ModenaArchaeological Areas of Pompei,Herculaneum and Torre AnnunziataCostiera AmalfitanaArchaeological Areas of AgrigentoVilla Romana del Casaledi Piazza Armerina Su Nuraxi di BaruminiCilento and Vallo di Diano NationalPark with the Archeological Sites of Paestum and Velia and the Certosa di

PadulaHistoric Centre of UrbinoArchaeological Areas and the PatriarchalBasilica of AquileiaVilla Adriana (Tivoli)Aeolian IslandsAssisi, the Basilica of San Francescoand other Franciscan SitesCity of VeronaVilla d’Este (Tivoli)Late Baroque towns of the Val di NotoMonte San Giorgio Sacri Monti of Piedmont and LombardyEtruscan Necropolises of Cerveteriand TarquiniaVal d’OrciaSyracuse and the Rocky Necropolis ofPantalicaGenoa: Le Strade Nuove and the systemof the Palazzi dei RolliMantua and SabbionetaRhaetian Railway in the Albula/BerninaLandscapesThe DolomitesThe Longobards in Italy. Places of thePower (568-774 A.D.)Prehistoric Pile dwellingsaround the AlpsMedici Villas and Gardens in TuscanyMount EtnaVineyard Landscape of Piedmont:Langhe-Roero and MonferratoArab-NormanPalermo and the CathedralChurches of Cefalù and Monreale

MED

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TREASURES OF ITALYAND UNESCO

THE TREASURES OF ITALYAND THE UNESCO

MEDICI VILLAS AND

GARDENSIN TUSCANY

UNESCO, founded in Paris on 4th November 1945, is aUnited Nations organisation which deals with culture,education, sciences, and the arts.With its headquarters in Paris, UNESCO currently has165 member states.UNESCO has two basic objectives: to promote the dialogue between the cultures ofthe member states and develop them, and to preserve the cultural and naturalheritage of humanity.The former objective is extremely significant in the organisation’s activities, as thebody itself was built on the conviction that onlyconstant intercultural dialogue and development ofculture, arts, sciences and education systems canencourage cooperation between nations,understanding between populations economicprogress, social justice and world peace.UNESCO pursues the latter goal by identifying,protecting, safeguarding and transmitting the world’scultural and natural assets to future generations.Based on an international treaty (the 1972Convention Concerning the Protection of the WorldCultural and Natural Heritage) UNESCO hasrecognised by now 1073 world heritage sites (832cultural, 206 natural and 35 mixed properties) in 167countries.According to the Convention, cultural heritage meansa monument, a group of buildings or a site ofhistorical, aesthetic, archaeological, scientific,ethnological or anthropological value.Natural heritage, on the other hand, indicatesphysical, biological, and geological features, inaddition to the habitat of threatened species ofanimals and plants and areas of outstanding universalvalue from the aesthetic or scientific point of view.Heritage represents the inheritance of the past that weall benefit from and transmit to future generations.Our cultural and natural heritages are an irreplaceablesource of life and inspiration. Unique and diverseplaces such as the wild stretches of the Serengeti National Park in Eastern Africa,the Pyramids in Egypt, the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and the Baroquecathedrals of Latin American make up our World Heritage.It is the universal application that makes the concept of World Heritage trulyexceptional.World Heritage Sites belong to the population of the world, beyond the borderswhere they are located.

www.unesco.org

This work has been published under the patronage of the Italian National Commissionfor UNESCO

Tuscany RegionDirectorate for Culture and ResearchDirector: Roberto FerrariDepartment of Cultural Heritage, UNESCO sites, Contemporary Art and MemoryManager: Alessandro Compagnino, Partecipating Staff members: Enrica Buccioni, Lisa CovelliScientific coordination: Enrica BuccioniGeneral coordination: Francesca Chiocci, Fondazione Sistema Toscana

Project financed by fundsLaw no. 77 of 20 February 2006“Special measures for the protection and the fruition of Italian cultural, landscape andnatural sites, inscribed on the “World Heritage List”, under the protection of UNESCO”

Texts:Emanuela Benedetti (Villa of Cafaggiolo), Lorenzo Scaretti (Villa of Trebbio), Enrica Buccioni (Villa of Careggi) Donata Mazzini (Villa Medici in Fiesole), Marco Mozzo(Garden of Castello - Villa La Petraia), Hosea Scelza (Villa of Castello), Lorenzo Sbaraglio(Villa Poggio of Caiano), Bianca Maria Landi (Boboli Gardens), Cristina Gnoni (Villa ofCerreto Guidi), Andrea Tenerini (Palazzo in Seravezza), Rossana Biagioni (Garden ofPratolino), Claudia Cappellini (Villa La Magia), Claudia Cataldo (Villa of Artimino),Cinzia Palumbo (Villa of Poggio Imperiale)

Translation:Alex Gillan

Editorial coordination: Alessandro AvanzinoAccounting: Paola Ciocca BianchiEditing: Titti MottaGraphics and page layout: Gabriella Zanobini Ravazzolo

© 2018 Sagep Editoriwww.sagep.itISBN 978-88-6373-508-6

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The result of the serial site “Medici Villas and Gardens of Tuscany”becoming part of the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2013, althougheagerly awaited, was anything but straightforward.

For several years, UNESCO has imposed severe restrictions for new entries inresponse to a global strategy that aims, with a view to balancing the list, toencourage new sites in categories of properties and geographical areas ofthe world that are still poorly represented, as opposed to Italy which todayboasts a good 53 sites. Despite this, the decision of the 37th World Heritage Committee rewardedsome complex work which, like all successful nominations, required aconsiderable deployment of time and resources on the part of many of thesubjects involved, and is a demonstration of how cooperation betweenvarious institutions (MiBACT, the Tuscany Region, assorted provinces andmunicipalities), accompanied by subsidiarity and coordination, can lead topositive results for the whole of Italy on the global stage. Solidarity is the key value behind the site, technically called “serial”, i.e.made up of a certain number of component parts that are distinct butinextricably linked, to contribute to that intrinsic outstanding universalvalue which lies at the foundation of UNESCO recognition, each accordingto its own specific circumstances but in relation to the whole. The components of the site are 14, all carefully selected within the context ofan expansive Medicean heritage. They represent important landmarks withrespect to stages, events, or characteristics that were particularly significant indeveloping the model of the noble suburban residence, and for their highdegree of compliance with the indispensable requirements of authenticity andintegrity.Another fundamental aspect that influenced the listing was the drawing upof inter-institutional agreements for the coordinated management of thesite. To this end, two Memoranda of Understanding were signed in whichthe institutions involved formalized their mutual commitment to managingthe UNESCO site as a joint enterprise, despite their dissimilar geographicallocations, properties, and intended usage. Great emphasis was laid on issuesof protection and conservation, enhancement of the serial system, andagreement over certain priority actions. The latter included some editorialinitiatives, such as this one, as a tool to bolster cultural promotion of theserial system.

Francesca RiccioContact person for the serial site

“Medici Villas and Gardens of Tuscany”at the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities

and Tourism General SecretariatUNESCO Coordination Office

76

and artisticpatronage developedby the Medici. Theyform a series of keylocations for theemergence of theideals and tastes ofthe ItalianRenaissance followedby their diffusionthroughout Europe.

Criterion (II) TheMedici Villas andGardens in Tuscanyare testimony to asynthesis of thearistocratic ruralresidence, at the endof the Middle Ages,which embodied aseries of new political,economic andaesthetic ambitions.Villas and gardensformed models thatspread widelythroughout Italyduring the Renaissanceand then to the wholeof modern Europe.

Criterion (IV) TheMedici baronialresidences provideeminent examples ofthe rural aristocraticvilla dedicated toleisure, the arts andknowledge. Over aperiod spanningalmost threecenturies, the Medicideveloped manyinnovativearchitectural anddecorative forms. Theensemble is testimonyto the technical andaesthetic organizationof the gardens in

association with theirrural environment,giving rise to alandscape tastespecific to Humanismand the Renaissance.

Criterion (VI) Thevillas and gardens,together with theTuscan landscapes ofwhich they are a part,made an early anddecisive contributionto the birth of a newaesthetic and art ofliving. They aretestimony toexceptional cultural

The serial site“Medici Villasand Gardens in

Tuscany” includesfourteen Medici villasand gardens inTuscany.The Medici Villa andits Gardens embodyan ideal of the

2013Medici Villas and Gardensin Tuscany

princely residencein the countrywhere it waspossible to live inharmony withnature, and dedicateas much time andenergy to leisurepastimes as to thearts and knowledge.

Giuseppe Zocchi, La RealVilla di Careggi, fromVedute delle Ville e d’altriLuoghi della Toscana,Florence, Allegrini, 1744,pl.36.

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The UNESCO World Heritage List contains anarray of cultural properties that represent keypieces in the history of humanity. They havebeen recognized as possessing an intrinsic“outstanding universal value”, so important thatit transcends their own space and time and,given that they are the heritage of the whole ofhumanity, they stand for the present and thefuture.During the 37th World Heritage Committeesession, UNESCO approved the inclusion of theserial site “Medici Villas and Gardens ofTuscany” in its list of World Heritage sites. Thiswas a major triumph for Italian culture,achieved thanks to a collaboration between theTuscany Region, the Ministry of CulturalHeritage and Activities and Tourism (MiBACT),and the Municipalities and Provinces where thefourteen complexes are located. Twelve villas and two gardens scattered acrossthe Tuscan landscape constitute a site that is atestimony to the influence exerted by theMedici family on contemporary Europeanculture through their patronage of the arts.Constructed between the 15th and 17th centuries,they epitomize an original system of building inharmony with nature, dedicated to leisure, thearts, and learning. The villas featuredinnovation in both their form and function,representing a new type of aristocratic residencedifferent from the farms owned by the richFlorentines of the period and from the emblemsof feudal power, the castles. The first exampleof a link between architecture, gardens, and thesurrounding environment, the Medici villasbecame a benchmark for the aristocraticresidences of Italy and the rest of Europe. UNESCO’s prestigious recognition honours bothItaly and Tuscany, but over and above thehonour, comes the awareness that the regionnow has a duty and a major commitment tosafeguard these treasures which have become apatrimony of humanity.

Monica BarniVice President and

Regional Councillor for Culture,University, and Research

PARCO ALPI APUANE

RISERVADI MONTERUFOLI

PARCO NATURALEMIGLIARINO

SAN ROSSOREMASSACIUCCOLI

A11

A11

A11

A11

SS1

SS1

SS1

SS12

SS12

SS12

SS64

SS65

SS67

SS68

SS73SS68

SR439

SR439

SR206

SR302

SR302

SS63

San Miniato

Castelfiorentino

Certaldo

Greve in Chianti

Castellina in Chianti

Colle di Val d’Elsa

San Gusmé

Casole d’Elsa

Lajatico

Cecina

Collesalvetti

Marina di Pisa

Empoli

Pracchia

Pievepelago

Castiglione di Garfagnana

Barga

Gaggio Montano

Castiglione dei Pepoli

Cantagallo

Castel del RioSestolaFivizzano

Piazza del Serchio

Cutigliano

Bagni di Lucca

MontecatiniTerme

Fucecchio

Vinci

Pontassieve

CamaioreForte dei Marmi

Quarrata

Barberino di Mugello

San Gimignano

Pontedera

San Giuliano Terme

MASSA CARRARA

FIRENZE (FLORENCE)

SIENA

LIVORNO

PISA

VIAREGGIOLUCCA

PISTOIA

1413

12

10

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56 7

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1

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1. Villa of Cafaggiolo2. Villa of Trebbio3. Villa of Careggi4. Villa Medici in Fiesole5. Villa and Garden of Castello6. Villa of Poggio a Caiano7. Villa La Petraia8. Boboli Gardens9. Villa of Cerreto Guidi10. Palazzo in Seravezza11. Garden of Pratolino12. Villa La Magia13. Villa of Artimino14. Villa of Poggio Imperiale

1312 Introduction

Tuscany, a region thatwas the family’shomeland and theseat of the Signoriathat bore their name.The Medici were oneof the most important

families during theage of Humanism andthe Renaissance,leading players in thehistory of Italy andEurope from the 15th

to the 18th century.

Introduction

The serial site“Medici Villasand Gardens of

Tuscany”, now partof the cultural and

natural heritagecategories of theUNESCO WorldHeritage List, consistsof 14 villas andgardens of the Medicifamily located in

Tommaso Buzzi, Mapof the Medici Villascreated for an exhibitionon Italian Gardens in Flo-rence, 1931; Florence, Mu-seum of the Medici Villa La Petraia.

1514 Introduction

The economic,political, andterritorial power andinfluence of thisfamily, enriched byan exceptionalnetwork ofcommercial andfinancial activities,traversed territorialboundaries from theiroriginal home in theApennine area ofMugello, to spreadthroughout Tuscany,Italy, and the rest ofEurope. Manypersonalities

The Medici Villa La Petraia.

belonging to theMedici dynastybecame prominentfigures in modernhistory, among themLorenzo theMagnificent, thepopes Leo X andClement VII, and theQueen of France,Catherine de’ Medici. As a result, forseveral generations,the Medici familydominated thecultural, spiritual, andscientific panoramasof their time: they

the form of the “villawith garden”, a newkind of settlement,and the sign of anextremely innovativesystem to manageand organize theterritory. The “villa withgarden” marked thedemise of the feudaloccupation of theland and the fortifiedbuilding type infavour of aconception of theterritory as a pacifiedplace where

On the following pages:Garden of the MediciVilla of Castello.

were quite remarkablepatrons of the arts; tothem we owe thetransformation of theterritory in itspassage from themiddle ages to themodern age, inaddition tofundamentalcontributions to thecultural revolutionthat would determinethe birth of modernthought. The maximumexpression of Medicipower was fulfilled in

1716 Introduction

1918 Introduction

from the point of viewof the birth anddevelopment of thismodel of suburbanresidence. One resultwas that the Tuscanvillas became aprivileged place forartistic and scientific-engineeringexperimentation; aninexhaustible font offormal, compositional,and technologicalinnovations.

Of the 36 Mediciproperties examined,only 14, chosen fortheirrepresentativeness,were entered on theWorld Heritage Listfor their acclaimedcultural, artistic andlandscapesignificancedetermined by anauthenticity and anexceptionalfunctional, structural,

architecture was in arenewed dialecticaland open relationshipwith the innatenatural features andthe surroundinglandscape.This residential modeland its progressiveevolution constituteda prototype thatwould inspire futurecreations of suburbanarchitecture bothinside and outside the

borders of Italy. The Medici family’sreal estate and landwere substantial, notonly in Tuscany, butalso in other regionsof Italy and in France.However, with respectto these extensiveassets, it was theTuscan properties withtheir 36 villas andgardens thatrepresented the mostsignificant complexes

The Boboli Gardens.

2120 Introduction

and visual integrity. The series of Medicivillas and gardens ispresented according tothe chronology ofacquisitions withsubsequenttransformations bythe Medici of existingproperties, oraccording to the startof work on theconstruction of newbuildings. Thischronology includesthe inheritedproperties ofCafaggiolo andTrebbio, which hadbelonged to theMedici since thefourteenth century.These are followed bythe Villa of Careggi

purchased in 1417, theVilla in Fiesole buildbetween 1451-57,Castello in 1477,Poggio a Caianobegun in 1483, Petraiafrom 1544, the BoboliGardens of 1550,Cerreto Guidi of 1555,Seravezza of 1561,Pratolino of 1568, LaMagia of 1584,Artimino of 1593, andfinally PoggioImperiale from 1622.Out of these villas, agood 9 can still be seenin the lunettes of theFlemish artist GiustoUtens (1599-1602)commissioned fromhim by Ferdinando Ifor the hall of theArtimino Villa.

The Garden of Pratolino.

On the facing page:The Villa Medici in Fiesole.

On the following pages:

p. 20at the topVilla La Magia.at the bottomMedici Villa of Seravezza.p. 21at the topThe Medici Villa ofArtimino.at the bottomThe Medici Villa of Poggioa Caiano.p. 22at the topThe Medici Villa La Petraia.at the bottomThe Medici Villa of Careggi.p. 23at the topThe cloister of the Castle ofTrebbio.at the bottomThe Medici Villa of CerretoGuidi.p. 24Medici Villa of Careggi,the grotto.p. 25The Medici Villa of PoggioImperiale.

2322 Introduction

24 25Introduction

26 27Introduction

2928 Introduction

3130 The Medici Villa of Cafaggiolo

The MediciVilla ofCafaggiolo

The architecturaland landscapecomplex of

Cafaggiolo, arrangedaround themonumental Villa“built as a fortress”,and formerly fortifiedand walled, with aself-containedarchitectural layoutand a guard towersimilar to that of thenearby Villa ofTrebbio, still voicesits history today andits evolution overtime from a defensivegarrison for theMedici family to acountry house for

Giusto Utens, VillaCafaggiolo, 1599-1600.Florence, Museum of theMedici Villa La Petraia.

View of the Villa.


View of the façade fromthe garden in front of theVilla.

holidaying,relaxation, and totake care of farmingactivities, thanks toits privileged positionin Mugello at thecentre of a largegame reserve forhunting and a vastagricultural holding.The original building,which evolvedaround a primitivecastle of theFlorentine Republic,was transformedbetween 1443 and1451 by the will ofCosimo the Elder to a

design by thearchitect Michelozzodi Bartolomeo, whohad already workedat Trebbio, into animposing fortifiedpalace, its volumesstrategicallyarranged, andfortified with towers,walls with openingsfor blunderbussesand crossbows, adrawbridge, andmoats, ready for thedefence and militarycontrol of theterritory. But at thesame time, following

their own yearningsfor a secluded life inthe countrysidedevoted to doctumotium according tothe classic modelexalted by Cicero,Cosimo the Elder, asVasari reminds us,also devoted himselfto the layout of theextensive areaaround the dwelling,creating “farms,roads, gardens, andfountains with woodsall around, ragnaie(small woods withnets to capture birds),

and other thingsevery well-equippedvilla should have”. Allcharacteristics thatdefined theRenaissance idea ofdeveloping theMugello residence,which would soonbecome, with Lorenzothe Magnificent, areal holiday resortand also be used fordiligent study, hostingPico della Mirandola,Marsilio Ficino and,for long periods,Agnolo Poliziano,dedicated to the

The dreamof CafaggioloIn the monumentalcomplex of theMedici Estate ofCafaggiolo there isan ongoing project ofprotection andvalorization for theredevelopment andrecovery of theformer Medici farm.In addition to therestoration andreconditioning ofthese buildings, thehistorical memoryand the splendour ofthese places will bebrought back tolight. The philosophyof the project will befounded on thequintessentialcharacteristics of thehistorical-architectural andenvironmental-landscape.


with agriculturalbuildings listed inancient propertyregisters;representing a strongpoint of thecomplex’smonumental value,with its 19th century

landscaped Englishgarden at the rear,and the extensivelawn in front of thefaçadecharacterized bytwo large Lebanoncedars.

Emanuela Benedetti

education of Giovannide’ Medici, the futurePope Leo X. In themiddle of the 16th

century, the GrandDuke Cosimo I had abuilding added behindthe villa, integratedMichelozzo’sdefensive system, andincreased the huntsthat had always beenpractised at thecomplex, and thatwould continue withthe Grand Dukes untilat least the middle ofthe 17th century,according to thetypical seasonalrhythms. UnderLorraine rule, thoughfewer initiativesembellished theresidence, itstraditional function asa strategic stoppingplace and post stationalong the road to thenorth was maintainedand enhanced as part

of an expansion ofthe local roadnetwork desired bythe new GrandDukes. As aconsequence of theUnification of Italy,in 1865 the villa wassold by the ItalianState to the Borgheseprinces who carriedout radicalrestoration workgeared to a periodreconstruction,adding decorativemedieval-styleelements tointerventions of aneo-Renaissancetaste.After the demolitionof the watchtowerand the doublefortified walls in themid-18th century, theVilla’s park nowblends in admirablebalance with thegreat surroundingestate, still dotted

General view of the 1st Sala delCardinale frescoed by LetoChini in 1887 in response to acommission by PrinceMarc’Antonio Borghese.

General view of the 2nd Sala delCardinale frescoed by LetoChini in 1887 in response to acommission by PrinceMarc’Antonio Borghese.

General view of the Galleryknown as the “Sala Vasari”.

3736 The Medici Villa of Trebbio

The Medici Villaof Trebbio

The Trebbio Castle,on the knoll ofthe same name,

already the property ofthe Medici family since1309, preserves theinspired mark of theFlorentine architectMichelozzo Michelozzi.From a solitary bulwarkguarding the crossroadsof an ancientEtruscan/Roman route,Trebbio became a castlearound 1364, whensome fortified wallswere built crowned byexternal walkways thatserved to link the towerwith two adjacentbuildings. Then,according to therecords, it was

Giusto Utens, Villa delTrebbio, 1599-1602.Florence, Museum of theMedici Villa La Petraia.

Trebbio, aerial photo.

On the following pages:The Trebbio hill.The tower of the Villa.The main façade of the Villa.


Michelozzo who, in theearly 1400s, on behalfof Giovanni di Bicci de’Medici and his sonCosimo, realized theadmirable complex, thesame castle-villa thatwe can admire today,accompanied by itsloggia and beautifulgarden arbour. In themid-1400s, Trebbio wasgiven to Cosimo’snephew, Pierfrancesco,and in the summer of1476 Amerigo Vespuccibriefly stayed there,while at the end of thecentury, Botticelli alsoworked there. Trebbiowas then inherited byhis grandson, the greatcondottiero, son ofCaterina Sforza fromForlì, Giovanni de’Medici, also known as


bequeathed it to theOratorians. In 1865,when the ItalianGovernment decidedto suppress thereligious orders, theOratorians gave the

castle and farms toOreste Codibò, alayman who was alsotheir trustedadministrator. On hisdeath, his nephewLeopoldo seized thecomplex andsquandered theproperty, letting thebuildings fall intodisrepair. In 1886, theheirs auctioned Trebbio,and it was purchased byMaria Teresa de laRoche Faucould, widowof prince MarcoAntonio Borghese,owner of the nearbyCafaggiolo villa. Thewhole complex wassold at auction by theBorghese in 1936, andDr Enrico Scarettiacquired the farms ofboth Cafaggiolo andTrebbio. In elevenmonths, the castle ofTrebbio, by then incomplete ruin, wasrestored, recovering itsoriginal 15th centuryplan.

Lorenzo Scaretti

“dalle Bande Nere”,and there would livehis wife Maria Salviatiand his son Cosimodestined in 1537 togovern Florence, ofwhich he became the

first Grand Duke. In1644, the Grand DukeFerdinando II sold theentire Trebbio holdingto the Florentinemerchant GiulianoSerragli, who

Internal courtyard.The formal twentieth-centurygarden.

4342 The Medici Villa of Careggi

ground plus a loft area,and is characterized byits slightly curvedeastern front and acrenelated copingprojecting over stonecorbels which becomesa unifying element, andinvokes the semblanceof a fortress withoutactually being one. The oldest part, the onewith the most compactground plan, has acentral courtyard witha loggia. On the groundfloor we find thechapel, some receptionrooms, and the mainstaircase leading to therooms on the upperfloor. The courtyard hasa trapezoidal shape thatfollows the profile ofthe main building,which in turn was built

The Medici Villaof Careggi

After the villas ofCafaggiolo andTrebbio in

Mugello, that ofCareggi was the thirdcountry residence to bebuilt by the Medici andto be redeveloped byMichelozzo. Situatedon the hill of the samename, the residencehas the predominantcharacter of a ruralvilla-farm, whosecloseness to the cityallowed the Medici totake care of their publicand personal businessinterests there.The building featuresfour storeys, two aboveground, one belowThe garden.

The southern façade.


following the path ofthe main road thatskirted it. The courtyard givesaccess to the ground-floor hall. This dates tothe beginning of the17th century, and isdecorated and frescoedthroughout. Of specialinterest are 16 lunetteswith views ofimaginary landscapes,seascapes, scenes withruins, gardens,fountains, and so on. Astaircase leads down tothe basement, wherewe find a rare exampleof an architecturalcaprice, namely, anymphaeum,commissioned byCardinal Carlo de’Medici in the 17th

century, using a part ofthe villa’s wine cellars.On the first floor to theleft of the mainstaircase opens theSalone del Camino,dominated by afireplace, adorned withbas-reliefs, and dated1465.Just beyond is Lorenzothe Magnificent’sstudy, located in thesouth-eastern corner ofthe Villa. This is asmall room with abarrel vault, whosewalls and ceiling aredecorated with frescoesof grotesque motifs.From the hall we reacha room that leads tothe first-floor loggia,which some attribute toGiuliano da Sangallo.Others have dated it tothe time of Pope Leo X,

On the facing page:The Loggetta.

On the facing page and onthis page at the top:Agostino Ubaldini, statues.

at the bottomThe lemon house.


when the familysecured enormousprestige, or to theperiod following thethird expulsion of theMedici, after 1534,when Duke Alessandrohad the villarestructured. Theloggetta was mentionedby Giorgio Vasaribecause of thepaintings by Pontormo,which had alreadydeteriorated by thattime, since they hadbeen dry-frescoed in aspace exposed to theopen air. The currentgrotesques on the

ceiling would seem todate to the period ofCardinal Carlo de’Medici, whose coat ofarms is in the centre.The villa hosted thePlatonic Academy withCosimo the Elder andLorenzo theMagnificent, asrepresented in thepicture hanging in theSalone del Camino.The villa iscomplemented by botha formal garden, facingthe southern façade,and a large landscapedpark that surrounds iton all sides. The

Hall on the first floor.

Platonic AcademyFounded in Florence in 1462 by Marsilio Ficino, byorder of Cosimo de Medici in the Medici Villa ofCareggi, the Academy was a circle of philosophers,writers and artists, whose main members, in additionto Ficino himself, were Pico della Mirandola,Poliziano, Nicola Cusano, Leon Battista Alberti,Cristoforo Landino, as well as the most prominentmembers of the Medici family such as Giuliano deMedici, and Lorenzo the Magnificent. Born out of open Humanist meetings (the model thatinspired it was Plato’s Symposium) the Academy wasessentially a centre of culture, one of the firstexamples of a modern academy, inspired by newconditions of intellectual and social life determinedby the blossoming of Graeco-Roman studies, thehabit of organizing scholarly conventions aroundacademics and patrons, lively correspondence, andperiodic disputes in public and in private.

nineteenth-centuryappearance of the parkwas by wish of FrancisJoseph, and eventoday it is stillcharacterized byarboreal species withtall trees, and thepresence of variousexotic species.

Enrica BuccioniOil painting by Antonio Puccinelli.

4948 The Villa Medici in Fiesole

with the suburbanvillaof Alberti (in theDe re aedificatoria,1452, it indicates howthe Renaissance Villashould be). VillaMedici in Fiesole isthe first examplewhere the idea of acountry residencedissolves from theradical concept offortress and castleevolving into anstand-alone form.

The Villa Mediciin Fiesole

The Villa Mediciof Fiesole wasbuilt between

1451 and 1457 forGiovanni, the son ofCosimo the Elder andprecursor of hisnephew, Lorenzo theMagnificent.The latest studies havenow re-evaluatedVasari’s attribution to

Michelozzo,confirming instead thehypothesis that seesLeon Battista Albertiin a central role in theconception of VillaMedici alongsideBernardo Rossellinoand Antonio Manetti,with Giovanniactively involved inall the implementationphases. The Villashows greatsimilarities

Domenico Ghirlandaio,Dormitio Virginis, fresco,1586-90. Fi. S. MariaNovella, C. Tornabuoni,detail.

The Villa Medici in Fiesole,the garden to the east.


Magnificent inheritedthe villa in 1469, andused it as a summerresidence; heregathered Humanistssuch as Pico dellaMirandola, MarsilioFicino, and Poliziano,who often sang hispraises of the place.The Villa, preciselyduring one of thegatherings of thePlatonic Academy,was the theatre of thePazzi familyconspiracy thataspired to kill LorenzotheMagnificent,withoutsucceeding.In 1671, Del Serafamily transformedthe West terrace into a

loggia, thus adding along volume to theupper floor.The original entranceto the villa wasthrough the garden tothe West, from ViaVecchia Fiesolana.The garden to the eastwas for the private

Its privilegedrelationship with thelandscape through thenew use of loggiasand terraces openesthe doors to futureRenaissance Villas.The building nolonger has medieval-style decorations, butrather introducesa simplicity of thestructure that accordseconomy, necessityand beauty basedon the harmony ofgeometries. The Villa isproportioned in all itsparts, both insidoorand outside, inaccordance withAlberti's concepts thatlead back to numbers,

music and geometry.Just as the design ofthe Villa followsregular reprises ofgeometrical rules, sothe garden wasconceived asoriginating from atriple overturning ofthe plan itself.The Villa Medici inFiesole, the firstexample of aRenaissance Villa,then became a “Muse”for numerous otherresidences, not onlyFlorentine, which,starting from the late1400s, would discoverinspiration andcreative andinnovatory ideas in it.Lorenzo the

View of the main terraces.

Aerial view of the villa.


completed thedriveway in 1870 afterthe construction ofthe new thoroughfarebetween Florence andFiesole. This gave newimportance to theupper garden Lady

Sibil Cutting Origocommissionedin 1915 Geoffrey Scottand Cecil Pinsent thelast works on thegardens which weredone in a Neo-Renaissance taste.

Donata Mazzini

enjoyment of thevilla’s guests; thelower terracing heldthe ‘Horto’ with herbsfor domestic use.Here it was firstintroduced thecultivation of citrusfruits from the southof Italy first beganhere, which would goon to become thepride of all Medicigardens.A small wood abovethe avenue contained‘ragne da tordi’ − netsto capture birds.In 1670, Lady Orfordcommissioned the

architect Paoletti tomake the easternentrance through adriveway, and expandthe upper garden withthe inclusion of thelemon house and theBelvedere. Sir WilliamSpence

The garden to the east.

View from the upper garden.

Detail of the geometricdesign of the lowerterracing.

The garden to the west.

5554 The Medici Villa of Castello

Giusto Utens, Villa ofCastello, 1599-1602.Florence, Museum of theMedici Villa of Petraia.

Aerial view of the Villa andGarden.

The MediciVilla of Castello

The Medici Villaof Castellobecame part of

the assets owned bythe Medici family in1477, when Giovanniand Lorenzo diPierfrancesco de’Medici, cousins ofLorenzo theMagnificent, boughtit from the DellaStufa family. It was inthis Villa thatMarsilio Ficinoeducated the youngLorenzo diPierfrancesco to thevision of a Humanistworld, and it was forthis villa thatBotticelli painted TheBirth of Venus and

Spring, latertransferred to theUffizi. Like most ofthe villas in theFlorentinecountryside, the Villadi Castello presents asecular stratification,the outcome of aseries of interventionsof renewal andaddition that tookplace starting fromthe oldest nucleus,which was adefensive tower fromthe 12th century.Situated along thedirectrix of anancient Romanaqueduct thatsupplied the city ofFlorence with waterfrom the Marinavalley, in the 14th

century, the villa was

5756 The Medici Villa of Castello

but those who left thedeepest trace of theirwork wereunquestionablyNiccolò Pericoli,dubbed “Il Tribolo”,Giorgio Vasari, andBernardo Buontalenti.Providing ahomogeneous aspectto the renovatedcomplex andblending the differentextensions into acoherent design wascertainly a far fromeasy undertaking,above all because theinterventions had tocope with the manyconstraints imposedby the pre-existingstructures and thecontext. The drawingsthat have come downto us show thearchitects using allthe tricks up theirsleeve to conceal thelack of symmetry andthe misalignments.

The perception oforder of symmetry andregularity as intrinsicarchitectural valueswas so deep thatcertain views of theVilla (for examplethose of Utens andZocchi, even if made150 years apart) setthemselves the task ofregularizing theappearance, therebysubordinating realityto ideality. At thedawn of the 17th

century, the Villa hadbecome the focal pointof the elaborate systemto organize theterritory, whichallowed the Medici tocontrol the naturalelements, direct theeconomiclife, andgovern the State. Aftermany vicissitudes, thecomplex was acquiredin 1919 by the ItalianState. Today the Villais the seat of theprestigious Accademiadella Crusca. Many ofits rooms are of specialmerit, and amongthese is the Sala dellaPale, where thepersonal coats of armsof the Academy’s 15th-18th century membersare displayed.

Hosea Scelza

ancient medievalhouse in the Villa (onthe right-hand sidewhen looking at themain façade). This factexplains themisalignment of thegarden and the Villa,which lie along twodifferent axes ofsymmetry. In the 16th

century, under theauthority of Cosimo I,some impressive worksof transformation wereundertaken that werecompleted underFerdinando I at thebeginning of the 17th

century.As a result of theseinterventions, theancient 15th centuryhouse was more thandoubled in size,reaching a groundplan not too dissimilarto the current one.Many architects andartists worked on theVilla in this period,

nicknamed “Il Vivaio”(“The Nursery”)because of the largebasins located nearthe current entranceplaza. Therenovations andextensions carried outby the Medici datingfrom 1477, aimed toincorporate annexesto the west of the

View of the garden of theVilla of Castello.

Grotto of the animals.

Accademia della Crusca.

5958 The Castello Villa’s Garden

now a copy, made byTribolo and Pierinoda Vinci and crownedby a bronze group byBartolomeoAmmannati; theoriginal can beadmired in a room ofthe nearby Villa LaPetraia, which alsokeeps Giambologna’sVenus/Florence,which at one timewas positioned tocomplete the so-called Fountain of theLabyrinth again fromthe Castello villa, buttransferred to Petraiaat the time of theLorraine) and theextraordinary Grottoof the Animals or theFlood. Among themost famous inEurope, designed byTribolo himself andoriginally enlivenedby spectacular waterfeatures, this is aperfect simulation ofa natural cave thatgathers sculpturalgroups of animals inpolychrome marble,and plays a keysymbolic role in thecomplex allegorycreated in this gardenfor Cosimo and hissuccessors. In the“wilderness” of Holm-oaks, oaks, andcypresses thatdevelops in the upperarea – transformedinto an English-stylepark in the first halfof the 19th century –stands the great basincreated by Vasari anddecorated by the

Apennine or January,a bronze sculpture byAmmannati. Thegarden boasts anexceptional collectionof citrus fruits,consisting of aboutfive hundred plants ofhistorical-botanicalimportance, unique inthe world and

The CastelloVilla’s Garden

The Garden ofthe Villa ofCastello can

rightfully claim to bea prototype of the16th-century Italiangarden. It was createdas a significant partof an overallprogramme torenovate andembellish the Villa ofCastello, inheritedfrom the motherMaria Salviati, grand-daughter of Lorenzothe Magnificent. Thegeneral project wasentrusted to NiccolòPericoli, known as “IlTribolo”, who wasalso responsible forconstructing theimposing hydraulicsystem thatconducted water fromthe Castellina spring

above, to feed thenumerous fountains.As for the inventor ofthe garden’s elaborateiconographic scheme,which was intendedto exalt theilluminated dominionover Tuscany of thenew Medicigovernment as wellas their peacekeepingrole, some scholarsnow opt forBenedetto Varchi,others for LucaMartini or NiccolòMartelli.The key points of therich and elaboratedecorative projectcreated by Tribolo,together with Pierinoda Vinci and otherartists, are – alongthe central axis of theItalian garden behindthe villa – thefountain of Herculesand Antaeus, (a work,

The grand lemon house,detail.

Fountain of Hercules andAntaeus.

60 61The Castello Villa’s Garden

Villa of Castello GardenThe first mention of the cultivation of citrus fruit atthe Castello villa dates to 1544, when Cosimo I de’Medici ordered sweet lemons to be planted. Since thenthe collection has continued to be enriched with newplants until reaching, in 1847, the number of sixhundred specimens in vases, in addition to aconsiderable number of espalier-grown citrus,predominantly consisting of citron and bitter oranges.Nowadays, the collection boasts around 1,000specimens of assorted sizes and ages. The preciousnessof the species cultivated, not a few descended fromMedicean varieties, the ‘bizarreness’ and monstrosityof its fruits, the secular trunks of some of them, thebeauty of certain terracotta vessels still adorned withthe Medici coat of arms, make it unique of its kind:one of the most important and rarest collections ofpotted citrus trees in Europe.

descendants of theancient Mediceanvarieties withspecimens from aperiod stretching overthree hundred years.The plants aremeticulously caredfor using ancientcultivationtechniques, are onshow in the openfrom April to October,and are stored in thehistorical lemonhouses in the winter

period. There is also agarden of medicinalherbs which is a realjewel with the Stufadei Mugherini, agreenhouse thatpreserves the rareIndian jasmine fromGoa called“mugherino” inItalian, which givesthe name to thegreenhouse of the so-called “Ortaccio” orsecret garden.

Marco Mozzo

Fountain of the Apennine.

On the facing page:Citrus Medica “Digitata”commonly know asBuddha's Hand.

View of the inside of thelemon house.

6362 The Medici Villa of Poggio a Caiano

The construction of the Villa of Poggio aCaiano and its grandiose “Salone di Leone X”according to Giorgio VasariMeanwhile Giuliano had come into even greater creditwith Lorenzo [the Maginificent]; and the latter, who wasintending to build a palace at Poggio a Caiano, a placebetween Florence and Pistoia, and had caused severalmodels to be made for it […], commissioned Giuliano, also,to make one of the sort of building that he proposed toerect. And Giuliano made it so completely different in formfrom the others, and so much to Lorenzo’s fancy, that hebegan straightway to have it carried into execution, as thebest of all the models; on which account he took Giulianoeven more into his favour, and ever afterwards gave him anallowance. After this, Giuliano wishing to make a vaultedceiling for the great hall of that palace in the manner thatwe call barrel-shaped, Lorenzo could not believe, onaccount of the great space, that it could be raised.Whereupon Giuliano, who was building a house for himselfin Florence, made a ceiling for his hall according to thedesign of the other, in order to convince the mind of thatMagnificent Prince; and Lorenzo therefore gave orders forthe ceiling at the Poggio to be carried out, which wassuccessfully done. Giorgio Vasari, The Lives of the MostExcellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects, from Cimabueto our own times (1568); extract from the Life of Giulianoand Antonio da San Gallo, Florentine architects

The MediciVilla of Poggioa Caiano

This villa wasdesigned byGiuliano da

Sangallo for Lorenzothe Magnificent, asan example of a workof Renaissancearchitecture thatfused the lesson ofthe classics(especially those ofVitruvius) withcharacteristicelements of ruralTuscan architecture.Highly evident is thelesson of LeonBattista Alberti, bothin the choice of thesite where the Villa

Giusto Utens, Villa ofPoggio a Caiano, 1599-1603. Florence, Museum ofthe Medici Villaof Petraia.

Aerial view of the MediciVilla of Poggio a Caiano, thelemon house and the park.


substantial two-tonewhite and blue glazedterracotta introducesan element ofcontinuity with 15th

century Tuscan

tradition.The building has notonly seen thepassage of theMedici family: in the19th century it was

sits, and in thesearch for symmetryand harmony in itsproportions. Sittingon top of the knolland raised by thebase of the porticowhich accentuatesits prominence, thevilla overlooking thelandscape stands asa symbol ofmankind’s work ofbringing order tonature.Construction beganin the middle of the9th decade of the 15th

century andcontinued unabateduntil the death ofLorenzo theMagnificent in 1492.Work resumed in1512 under theguidance of his sonGiovanni, who hadbecome Pope Leo Xin the meantime,and ended towardsthe end of thesecond decade of the16th century.The decoration of

the façade and theportico are classical:the front carries atthe top the Medicicoat of arms abovethe friezes, whose

Hall of the Still LifeMuseum.

Living room of theapartmentsof Elisa Baciocchi.

Aerial view of the MediciVilla of Poggio a Caiano.


intact one of the mostimportant cycles ofTuscan frescoes fromthe 16th century,realized by Pontormo,Andrea del Sarto,Franciabigio, andAlessandro Allori. Onthe second floor, inthe Still Life Museum,are exhibited around200 paintingsbelonging to the

Medici collections.Finally, outside theVilla extend thegarden and the park,dominated, as well asby the bulk of thevilla, by the grand19th century lemonhouse, at the foot ofwhich rise themonumental stablesfrom the 16th century.

Lorenzo Sbaraglio

the residence of ElisaBaciocchi, the sisterof NapoleonBonaparte, and in thesame century, duringthe period whenFlorence was capitalof the Kingdom ofItaly (1865-1871), itwas renovated byVittorio Emanuele IIof Savoy whoearmarked it as one

of his countryresidences.The interior carriestestimonies ofspecial interest leftby importantpersonalities wholived in the villa.Particularly strikingis the piano nobile,the majestic Sala diLeone X, whichconserves almost

The Salone di Leone X.

Ground floor entrance.

The dining hall.

The billiards room.

6968 The Medici Villa La Petraia

The MediciVilla La Petraia

This Villa, withits unmistakabletower, rises in a

dominant position onthe slopes of MonteMorello leading downtowards the plainwith a splendid viewover Florence. Thesouth side overlooksthe formal gardenthat develops overthree levels of terrace,exploiting thegradient of the site:one with parterres,one with a nursery,and one withfigurines. Despitemany alterations,especially in the 18th

and 19th centuries, thegarden still conservesthe geometricspatiality of theoriginal 16th centurystructure, which itowes to Ferdinando Ide’ Medici, asdocumented in theLunette by GiustoUtens, todaypreserved inside the

villa, together withthe other thirteen ofthe series, allcommissioned byFerdinando I for theVilla of Artimino.Instead, to the northextends for manyhectares the romanticpark built in the 19th

century by order ofLeopold II ofLorraine. Just beforethe middle of the 16th

century, the villa andits appurtenancesbecame the propertyof Cosimo I, who wasto start the firstmodernization worksand subsequentlybequeath it to his sonand successor in theGrand Duchy, afterthe death of his

The Lunettes of Giusto Utens (1599-1603)The cycle of lunettes painted by the Flemish artist Giusto Utens between1599 and 1603 and commissioned by “His Serene Highness” Ferdinando Ide’ Medici to decorate the main hall of the Villa of Artimino, nicknamed“La Ferdinanda”, was intended to exalt the magnificence of the Grand-ducal crown. Of the seventeen views that were originally made, only fourteen havesurvived to show us the main properties of the dynastic legacy,strongholds of the sovereignty of Medici power in Tuscany. The individual Grand-ducal properties are represented in bird’s-eye views,immortalized in a rather ‘summary’ and homogeneous form. Drawing inspiration from the ancient pictorial tradition of landscapepainting and from cartography, the artist portrays the manor at thecentre of every lunette – the actual villa often described as a “palace”,surrounded by its appurtenances: storerooms, flower gardens, ploughedfields, crops, and fountains. Through this exceptional figurative document, today it is possible tograsp the innovative system of managing and organizing the territory inits most flexible and consistent form, a veritable microcosm aroundwhich the life of the Florentine Court revolved, well-established by the16th century, that was to become a reference model for other royalresidences in Italy and abroad over the centuries to come.

Giusto Utens, Villa ofPetraia, 1599-1603.Florence, Museum of theMedici Villa La Petraia.

View of the Villa.


the extinction of theMedici dynasty, thevilla passed to theLorraine family, thenew Grand Dukes,while with theUnification of Italy,Petraia would becomeone of the favouriteresidences of VittorioEmanuele II and RosaVercellana, “La BelaRosin”, themorganatic wife to

brother Francesco.The son, FerdinandoI, undertook a fullrestoration,transforming theexisting mediaevalstructure, probablycomparable to aturreted castle, intowhat would becomethe model of theTuscan country villa.On the ground floor acourtyard wascreated, as always atthe heart of thebuilding, itsoverhanging westernand eastern loggiasfrescoed with twomagnificent pictorialcycles: one 16th-century referable toCosimo Daddi withscenes dedicated tothe exploits ofGoffredo di Buglione,an ancestor of

Cristina of Lorraine,Ferdinando’s wife, theother desired byPrince Don Lorenzo,Cristina andFerdinando’s son,datable to the secondquarter of the 17th

century, created byBaldassarreFranceschini knownas “Volterrano”, anddepicting the pompand splendour of theMedici. In the Savoyera, during thecelebrations for theengagement of theson of King Emanueledi Mirafiori toBlanche de Larderel,the courtyard wastransformed into aballroom with a glassand iron roof and theclosure of the loggias,now open again. Inthe 18th century, with

the king. This periodsaw sometransformations thatinvolved both thelayout of the interiorsand the garden, andthat basically reflectthe currentappearance. Theground-floor andfirst-floor apartmentswere revamped toaccommodate thenew ruler and the

Aereal view of the gardenin front of the Villa.

Detail of the large basinof the Nursery.

View of the FigurineParterre with the Belvedere.

View of the NurseryParterre with the stairwayto the Figurine Parterre.


“Countess ofMirafiori”; here arefurnishings andvestments from pre-unification palacesthat ended in theestate of the crown. Inaddition, the so-called“Piano della Figurina”was created in thegarden, a terrace onthe same level as thevilla to the east,

which takes its namefrom the bronzesculpture ofVenus/Florence, amasterpiece byGiambologna, placedon top of the Fountainof the Labyrinth,transferred here fromthe garden of Villa diCastello in 1788 at thetime of Peter Leopoldof Lorraine, and today

preserved in a roominside the villa. In aroom on the groundfloor is also on showthe splendid bronzegroup of Ammannatiportraying Herculesand Antaeus that oncecrowned the fountainin the Castello garden,today replaced by acopy.

Marco Mozzo

View of the inner frescoedcourtyard.

The new chapel.

On the facing page:The red room.

The games room.

The blue living room.

7574 The Boboli Gardens

The BoboliGardens

This is ahistorical park,open to the

public, belonging tothe State PropertyOffice andadministered by theMinistry of CulturalHeritage andActivities andTourism (MiBACT).Born as a Medicigarden connected tothe grand-ducalresidence of the PittiPalace, it isimmediately adjacentto the Belvedere Fort,a strategic militaryoutpost, which, fromthe top of the hill ofthe same name,could watch over thesafety of thesovereign and hisfamily and thesouthern side of the

city. The garden,which welcomes overa million visitorsevery year, is one ofthe most important

Giusto Utens, BoboliGardens, 1599-1603. Florence, Museum of theMedici Villa of Petraia.

Cypress Lane.

On the facing page:

View of the garden fromPalazzo Pitti.


examples of an oldItalian-style formalgarden in the world,focusing on arborealgeometries and thecunning insertion ofstatues, caves, andmonumental scenicbasins. It can bedefined as a trueoutdoor museum, asmuch for itsarchitectural-landscape setting, itscollection ofsculptures, but alsoits ancient botanicalcollection, whichboasts species andvarieties that wouldotherwise have beendispersed. Thegardens were builtbetween the 16th and19th centuries, bywill of the Medicifamily, and wereextended bysubsequent rulingdynasties: theLorraine and theSavoy. The flat partalone occupies anarea of over 30hectares. The firstlate-Renaissancenucleus, designed byTribolo, whichincluded a vision ofan urban farm filledwith fruit plants, wassupplemented overthe years by newportions withdifferent settings,aimed especially toarouse theastonishment ofvisitors, thanks tothe opening ofadditionalperspective axes

from which leavepaths leading toponds andfountains, mazes,nymphaea, temples,and caves. A rareexample of Rococostyle in Tuscany isthe Kaffeehausbuilding, desired bythe Lorraine, fromwhere we can enjoyan amazing viewover Florence andthe Arno valley. Offoremostimportance insidethe garden is thestatuary, whichmixesarchaeologicalfinds of exceptionalquality with plasticworks coeval to theruling dynasties,always blendedcarefully into thedesign of thegreenery. An amplecollection ofmodern andcontemporary arthas distinguishedthe period since themonument hasbeen managed bythe State. Thegardens, whichhave a layout thatvaguely recalls anelongated triangle,are distinguishedby steep gradientsaround the hillbetween the palaceand the BelvedereFort, which uncoilinto a tonguepointing towardsPorta Romana andthe Villa of PoggioImperiale. Among

BernardoBuontalenti (also known as“Timante” or Bernardodelle Girandole, 1531-1608) was one of themajor architects andinterpreters of thedegree of luxury that theMedici era court hadmade their own. Asculptor, painter,miniaturist,scenographer andinventor of machines, acivil and militaryarchitect, Buontalentimainly lent his culturedinventiveness andtechnical acumen toFrancesco I de’ Medici(1541-1587), producingon his request, in thesame years, both thelarge grotto of Boboli(1583-1593 approx.) andthe Tribuna of the Uffizigalleries (1585-1586), aprecious jewel-box tocontain his collection ofworks of art. Formerly anassociate of Vasari, heended his career withFerdinando I (1549-1609) for whosewedding with Cristina ofLorraine, he createdscenes and costumes forthe comedies andinterludes.

On the facing page:Detail of the Fountain ofthe Ocean.


the 27th of June2013, the BoboliGarden has beenpart of the WorldHeritage Listrecognized byUNESCO asinviolable, together

with thirteen otherMedicean treasures,of which ten arelocated in theterritory of theMetropolitan City ofFlorence.

Bianca Maria Landi

the several architectswho contributed toinfluencing the imageof the garden and thePalace, one whostands out is thebrilliant BernardoBuontalenti, who was

responsible for thecreation of thelarge grotto knownas “Buontalenti”,one of themasterpieces ofEuropeanMannerism. From

Large grotto know as“Buontalenti”.

8180 The Medici Villa of Cerreto Guidi

and a strategic pointof control over thesurrounding territory,above all of thePadule di Fucecchio. The construction of

the villa, built usingmaterials from aruined castlebelonging to theGuidi Counts and thesecond circle of

The MediciVilla of CerretoGuidi

At the centre ofCerreto Guidi,in a dominant

position on a hill,

stands this mightyVilla, built by wishof Duke Cosimo I de’Medici as a huntingresidence (in view ofits proximity to theso-called “BarcoReale” game reserve),

Giuseppe Zocchi, View ofthe Villa of Cerreto Guidi,Florence 1757.

Aerial view of the MediciVilla of Cerreto Guidi.

View of the garden atthe back.

8382

walls, was carriedout, according to theavailable documents,between 1564 and1566, when thebuilding was cited as“again walled”. In1566, the works werebeing directed by thearchitect DavideFortini according tothe evidence,previously Tribolo’sassociate, succeededlater by AlfondoParigi the Elder. Bernardo Buontalentiis credited withconceiving thestepped access ramps,known as “pontimedicei”, thatconstitute the villa’sprominent feature.There are four

Room decorated withlandscape views from the19th century.

The hall on the first floor.

The Medici Villa of Cerreto Guidi

impressive, perfectlysymmetrical, flightsof stairs in brick andGonfolina stone.Some openings,which once led to thestables below thelarge square, arealigned with theplasterwork of thevilla’s façade,drawing thebasement that servesto support thenatural terrain, as araising of theperspective plane, inkeeping with amodule adopted byBuontalenti in otherbuildings.The villa partiallyowes its fame to thetragic story ofIsabella de’ Medici,who died at Cerretoduring the night

8584 The Medici Villa of Cerreto Guidi

Historical Museum ofHunting and theTerritory, comprisingcurious iconographictestimonies, a huntinglodge of the Lorraineperiod, and a weaponscollection, mainly thekinds used forhunting and shooting.

In the triple-fornixporticoes and in thesuggestive spacesbeneath the Medicibridges are exhibitedRoman andMediaeval marbles,reminiscent of anantiquarium.

Cristina Gnoni

between 15 and 16July 1576. Isabella,the favouritedaughter of Cosimo Iand Eleonora ofToledo, in 1558,married Duke PaoloGiordano Orsini;according to anaccount for a longtime seen as anti-Medici and fed byRomantic literature,she was strangled byhired assassins onthe orders of ajealous husband.Recent studies haveshed more light onIsabella’s life,dispelling the legendof atrocities andlawlessness; thecause of her deathwas more likely aserious form ofdropsy, a fatal renalocclusion. The Villa belonged toDon Giovanni de’Medici, Don Pietro,and Don Lorenzo,and became more ofa residence around1671 when it passedto Cardinal Leopoldode’ Medici. In 1780,the Hapsburg-Lorraine left the villaand after variouschanges inownership, it wasbestowed on theMarquises Geddes daFilicaia, whoentrusted the painterRuggero Focardi withfrescoing thedecorations of theground-floor hall.Purchased in 1966 byGalliano Boldrini,

who turned it into amuseum and thendonated it to theItalian State in 1969,on the 18th of June1978, it was finallyopened to the public. The furnishings ofthe villa wererestored in areference todescriptions of thehistorical inventories(1667, 1705, 1728)with the intention ofreproducing thesophisticated, multi-faceted taste of theMedici collections.Alongside asubstantial andsignificant core ofportraits of theMedici – comingfrom the galleries ofFlorence – one whichis a full-lengthportrait of Cosimo inhis coronation robesas Grand Duke (1570)and another aportrait of Isabellade’ Medici – there aretapestries from theMedici worksintegrated with arefined selection ofworks from theStefano Bardinilegacy (acquired bythe State in 1996)comprising paintingson wood and canvas,inlaid and paintedchests, cabinets,sculptures in marbleand terracotta,majolica, andartefacts featuringsemi-precious stones.Since 2002, the villahas also housed the

Cabin for inland waterwayvessel, made in Florence inthe first quarter of the 19th

century.

Isabella de’Medici Orsini(1542-1576)Isabella, the favouritedaughter of Cosimo Ide’ Medici andEleonora of Toledo andthe wife of Duke PoloGiordano Orsini, diedon 15 July 1576 in theMedici Villa of CerretoGuidi due to a severekidney disease, as isevident fromdocuments in the OrsiniArchives (Rome, at theArchivio StoricoCapitolino). For centuries, accordingto a slanderous versionsupplied by anti-Medicipropaganda andliterature, PaoloGiordano Orsini wasconsidered to beresponsible for thedeath of Isabella whilerecently rediscoveredcorrespondence atteststo a solid andaffectionate bondbetween the twospouses. In her stays atthe Cerreto villa,Isabella, a woman ofbrilliant intelligenceand refined culture,loved to go hunting, aswe can read in a letterwritten to PaoloGiordano in August1569: “We are atCerreto and shall bestaying there for threeor four days accordingto my Lord Duke, who iswell and sends his bestwishes (…) We go onbeautiful hunts forpartridges and hare andthe rest of the time weplay at piquet.”

8786

Giusto Utens, Serravezza,1599-1603. Florence,Museum of the Medici Villaof Petraia.

The lawn, the Villa and, in the background, theApuan Alps.

Palazzo Mediceo in Seravezza

Ammannati and thento young BernardoBuontalenti, even ifthe only persondocumented at theconstruction site, asclerk of works, wasDavid Fortini, theson-in-law of Tribolo.By 1565, the building

PalazzoMediceo inSeravezza

The constructionof the villa-palace in

Seravezza, whichbegan in the firstweek of the month ofMay 1561, was partof Cosimo I’s desire toaffirm his power andconsolidate theborders of the State,while a more specificreason was thepresence in Versilia ofimportant marbledeposits and iron andsilver mines.Historical-artisticcriticism hasattributed the firstproject to Bartolomeo

The Vezza stream and theMedici villa.

8988

The entrance portal.

The façade overlooking thelawn.

overall appearancecomes from thelunette by GiustoUtens, realizedbetween 1599 and1601, in which canbe seen the otherelements that stillmark the entire areaspatially today: e.g.the small chapel thatflanks the villa andthe stables. In thedecades straddlingthe 16th and 17th

centuries, thebuilding often hostedrepresentatives of theMedici court whowere accustomed toretiring to Seravezzaduring the summer.Among these wasCristina of Lorraine,who was fond offishing, and who

resided there forextended periodsafter receiving in1609, on the death ofher husbandFerdinando I, thebequest of governingthe Captaincy ofPietrasanta. After afailed attempt by theGrand Duke PietroLeopoldo to sell theentire complex to theCommunity ofSeravezza, the Villawas assigned to theMagona company asadministrative officesand the warehouse ofan ironworks. In1835, the buildingonce again became aresidence for thegrand-ducal family,in particular,Leopoldo’s daughters.

was finished, andthe dukecommissioned thesculptor StoldoLorenzi to make anepigraph in marble,that still existstoday, to be affixed“above the door ofthe Casino ofSeravezza to thevegetable garden”. From a descriptionof 1568, we knowthat the lawn of themain front wasclosed by a dry wall,“with its marble gatefacing southwards”,that at the back wasan orchard, whilealong the Vezzastream, there was afish farm. A firsticonographicrepresentation of the


9190

Traditions ofHistorical Versilia”.The piano nobile isreserved forimportant exhibitionsof photography andmodern and

contemporary art.The stables, restoredat the beginning ofthis century, containthe municipal theatreand cinema.

Andrea Tenerini

With the Unificationof Italy, ownershipfinally passed to theState which, in 1864,gave it to theMunicipality ofSeravezza.

Today, the Villa is theseat of the “SirioGiannini” library, the“Municipal HistoricalArchive” and the“Museum of Labourand Popular

The inner courtyard withthe well.


9392 The Garden of Pratolino

The Garden ofPratolino

It was Francesco Ide’ Medici whohad the villa and

park of Pratolinobuilt on land hepurchased in 1568.The first layout of thepark, which covered20 hectares, featureda longitudinal axisand a transverse axiswith the villa at thepoint of intersection.Walls and terracesjoined the partsituated to the northknown as of the‘Ancients’ with that tothe south dedicated tothe ‘Moderns’. Thelongitudinal axis wasmarked at the top by

Giusto Utens, Pratolino,1599-1603. Florence,Museum of the Medici VillaLa Petraia.

The ancient MediciPaggeria used as a nobleresidence by the Demidofffamily in 1872.


a Jupiter sculpted byBandinelli, the“Apennine Colossus”of Giambologna, thevilla, and an avenueof fountain jets thatended in a basin witha washing trough inmarble. In the upperpark were, in additionto Jupiter and theColossus, a largemaze, a chapel, andthe fountains ofPerseus andAesculapius. In thepark of the ‘Moderns’to the left of theavenue of fountainjets, emerge theCupid’s cave and thebasin of “LaMaschera”, while onthe right there wasonce a large aviary,the fountain knownas “Dell’Ammannati”and Mount Parnassus.Pratolino becamefamous for thewonder that visitorsfelt in admiring the

water organs, Heron-style machinessimulating birdsong,water features, andmany theatres ofautomatons moved bythe power of waterthat made up afantastic complex. Itsgrottos, with theirfountains and waterfeatures, weredescribed countlesstimes by illustrioustravellers, designedand engraved byfamous artists, andinvestigated byhydraulic engineerseager to imitate them.The diffusion of theengravings of Stefanodella Bella with themost evocative viewsof the parkcontributed in nosmall way toconsecratingPratolino as aEuropean model ofthe art of makinggardens. Its

The Apennine Colossussculpted by Giambolognain the setting designed byJoseph Frietsch.


Colossus. Pratolinoremained theresidence of theDemidoffs until 1955,and then passed toPrince PaoloKarageorgevich, to thecompany SOGENE,and, finally in 1981,to the Metropolitan

City of Florence. Fromthat date work beganto restore the park,both as regards itsbuildings andartefacts, and itsfaunistic-vegetationaland environmentalfeatures.

Rossana Biagioni

contraptions,fountains, and waterfeatures were imitatedin the gardens ofHellbrunn in Salzburg,the Hortus Palatinusof Heidelberg, andSaint-Germain-en-Laye near Paris. At the end of the 17th

century, Pratolinoenjoyed a secondmoment of splendourthanks to the GrandPrince Ferdinando de’Medici, who set up atheatre on the villa’ssecond floor. For him,Alessandro andDomenico Scarlattiwith George FridericHandel composedoperas that werestaged by JacopoChiavistelli andFerdinando Bibbiena.After the passage ofTuscany from theMedici to theHapsburg-Lorraineand with the arrival inFlorence of PietroLeopoldo, thePratolino villa wasshut down and it wasthought to dispose ofit to avoid themaintenance costs.Only in 1814 didreorganization of thepark begin, entrustedto the Bohemiangardener JosephFritsch. The newlandscaping featuredlarge lawns,meandering avenues,woods, andirregularly-shapedlakes. The villa wasdemolished and wassupposed to be rebuilt

Jupiter sculpted by AngioloAndreini to a sketch byGiannetto Mannucci in1937.

to a design by Luigi deCambray Digny, but thedeath of Ferdinando IIIin 1824, disallowedthis. In 1872, Pratolinowas ceded by theHapsburg-Lorraineprinces, Demidoff, whorestored the survivingbuildings and the

9998 The Medici Villa La Magia

The MediciVilla La Magia

Since January2000, thearchitectural

complex of Villa LaMagia has beenowned by theMunicipality ofQuarrata. The originalfoundation of Villa LaMagia should betraced back to 1320,the year whenVinciguerra of thePanciatichi family

The fountain in the parterregarden.

La Magia seen from above.


enriched by farmsand had assumed aresidential character,was bought byFrancesco I of theMedici family who,right at that time,was pursuing hisfather’s plan ofterritorial expansionfor the privateproperties. Villa LaMagia offered avantage point on theslopes ofMontalbano thatstrengthened thedominion of theFlorentine House. LaMagia wouldbecome part of theconstellation ofvillas that includesthose of Poggio aCaiano andArtimino. Inparticular, theMedicean Royal

Park, of which wecan find traces onMontalbano, had agate that faced theLa Magia estate. The period ofmaximum splendourof the villa came atthe end of the 1500s(1585-1587) whenBuontalenti drew upa project torestructure the villaand a plan to realizea lake. On the 27th of May1645, Pandolfod’Ottavio Attavantiobtained the consentof Ferdinando II de’Medici to purchasethe La Magia farm,and it was preciselyunder the ownershipof the Attavantifamily that, at thebeginning of the 18th

century, the villaunderwent arguablythe most substantialrestoration in itshistory (theinterventions mostlyconcerned themonumentalstaircase and theinner courtyard). Inthe 18th century,construction began

commissioned theconstruction of thefirst tower with adefensive function forongoing strugglesbetween the

Panciatichi andCancellieri families.On 26 November1583, the property,which in themeantime had been

The Spirit of PlaceThe Spirit of Place is anitinerary ofcontemporaryenvironmental art thatincludes works insertedin the landscape totranslate its genius loci.The collection isarranged in thehistorical garden, andhas been enriched overthe years by worksspecially designed andcreated for La Magia:Micat in vertice byFabrizio Corneli, Lafabbrica della memoria eBruciaprofumi by Anneand Patrick Poirier,Ascolta il flauto di cannaby Marco Bagnoli,Giardino Rovesciato byNagasawa, andAnthology Two byMaurizio Nannucci.From 2011, thecollection was joined bya large fountain ofDaniel Buren, MuriFontane a Tre Colori perun Esagono, located onthe lawns outside thevilla. In addition, thevilla’s first floor holds apermanent collection ofworks by Agenore Fabbri.

The southern façade of theVilla and the parterregarden staircase.The villa courtyard.Oratory of Santa Verdianaand Perfume Burner byAnne and Patrick Poirier.


of the west and eastlemon houses and,after the acquisitionof the villa by theAmati Cellesi family,these same lemonhouses wereexpanded, and newstables were built.The annexes of theVilla La Magia werealso completed in thisperiod.The villa remainedthe property of theAmati Cellesi familyuntil the year 2000,when theMunicipality ofQuarrata purchased it.Currently the villa isopen to the public(every day, for groupswith prior

reservation) and it ispossible to visit thehistorical parts (cycleof frescoes, thehistorical garden andthe picture gallery)and the collection ofcontemporaryenvironmental art,“The Spirit of Place”(with works byFabrizio Corneli,Anne and PatrickPoirier, Nagasawa,Marco Bagnili,Maurizio Nannucci,and Daniel Buren).

Claudia Cappellini

Carlo Antonio Arrighi Mainstaircase (1708-1710) andGiovanni BagnoliAllegorical Figures fresco(1710), vault of thestaircase.

Pietrosanti Bambocci Letowith Diana and Apollo asChildren fresco (1716), hallof the piano nobile.

Giovanni Bagnoli Rape ofEuropa fresco (1710), pianonobile vault of the Ricetto.

105104 The Medici Villa of Artimino

The MediciVilla ofArtimino

Facing the hillsand vineyards ofMontalbano, in

a dominant positionon a hill that hadalreadyaccommodated asacred area at thetime of the Etruscans,the Medici Villa LaFerdinanda was builtin 1596 by order ofGrand DukeFerdinando I de’Medici, to a design byBernardo Buontalenti.“I have been today toArtimino and believe

me, Your Highness,that I have found aSpring”, wrote theGrand Duke to hiswife Cristina ofLorraine on the 19th

of January 1596. Thevilla, born as ahunting lodge, wascompleted in just fouryears, and representeda link between thefamily’s variousestates, a placededicated to theHumanistic otium ofarts and poetry.Ferdinando I de’Medici, following thedeath of Francesco,renounced hiscardinalate and

On the facing page:Aereal view.

View of the Villa.


caprice of Buontalentito bring somemovement to thebuilding’s austerearchitecture, thechimneys also hadtheir raison d’être:heating. Like all theMedici, Ferdinando Isuffered from gout

and therefore neededa lot of heat. In thebeginning, the Villahad no garden butBarco Reale was theVilla’s park, i.e. thelarge game reserve forhunting that belongedto the Medici family,which in 1626 wasclosed andsurrounded by a wall32 miles long ofwhich some ruins anda gate are still visibletoday. Somethingsingular is thearchitecturalappearance of thebuilding, with amilitary tone thatgives it austerity andmajesty, alleviated bymore elegant elementssuch as the sinuousentrance stairway inpietra serena. Overthe centuries, manyillustrious names havepassed between thewalls of LaFerdinanda. Forexample, in 1608,Galileo Galilei was

sought to continue hisbrother’s politics: it isreported that he wasfriendly and helpful,inclined to favoursectors such asagriculture, art, andcommerce. To him weowe some majorworks in addition to

his commissioning ofthe “Villa of theHundred Chimneys”,as La Ferdinanda isalso called because ofthe numerous stacksthat protrude from thetop of the buildingand make it unique.Not merely an artistic

Giuseppe Zocchi, View ofthe Villa of Artimino,Florence 1757.

Outdoor stairway.

View of the façade of theVilla.


invited here byFerdinando I toinstruct Cosimo’s son“in Mathematics”.Also Leonardo daVinci seems to havevisited the property:and it is nocoincidence if in theold kitchen of theGrand-ducal wine-cellars we can stilladmire the spit hedesigned. In the hallsof the Villa, in theloggia, and in thedelightful chapel, arewell-preservedfrescoes coeval to thestructure, painted byDomenico Crestiknown as“Passignano” and byBernardino Poccetti.

Claudia Cataldo

On the facing page:The outdoor loggia.

The chapel.

111110 The Medici Villa of Poggio Imperiale

In the 17th century, theancient PalazzoBaroncelli assumed thetraits of a palace, firstwith Maria Maddalenaof Austria (1622-1624),who had itsignificantly expandedand also changed itsname to Villa delPoggio Imperiale,dedicating it to thefuture GrandDuchesses of Tuscany,then with VittoriaDella Rovere, whocontinued her mother-in-law’s work:expanding the Villawith a new building(1681-1683), andenriching it withprecious art collectionsincluding the one shehad received in dowryas the last heir of theDuchy of Urbino. When Leopold II

arrived in Florence in1765, after a few days,he visited the Villa andchose it as his residencealongside the officialone of Palazzo Pitti. Tothis end, he created anopen-endedconstruction site, whichlasted for sixteen years(1767-1783), andmodelled the ancientMedici villa into arenewed example of aresidence between thecity and nature. Afterhim, in the first half ofthe 19th Century, theneoclassical traits of itsarchitecture were addedby Maria Luisa ofBourbon (1806-1807),Elisa Buonaparte (1810-1814) and FerdinandoIII (1814-1823), the sonof Leopold II, whoconcluded thearchitectural structure

The Medici Villaof PoggioImperiale

The first mentionof the currentVilla del Poggio

Imperiale dates to1427 when it wasentered in theFlorentine LandRegister. At that time it wascalled PalazzoBaroncelli from thename of the familywho had built a “casada signore” – anobleman’s house, onthe hill of Arcetri, with“due case dalavoratore” – twoworkers’ housesannexed, as was thecustom for elegantcountry mansions atthe time. The propertypassed to the

Pandolfini (in 1487), tothe Salviati (in 1548)and then to the Medici(in 1565). During the 16th century,the architectural designof the originalBaroncelli nucleus was“appalagiato” i.e., itsappearance as a fortresswas transformed into apalace, with a moremeasured and compactappearance on theFlorence side and withtwo courtyards and awalled garden openingtowards thecountryside. Until1576, it was thefavourite villa ofIsabella de’ Medici, therefined daughter ofCosimo I, who chose topursue culturalactivities there andembellish it withnumerous works of art.

The main front facing thecity.

113112

as we see it today. The wealth ofarchitectural andartistic interventionson the Villa withwhich the FlorentineCourt distinguisheditself in both theMedici and Lorraineeras, cannot overlookthe protagonists ofthis evolution, manyof whom were women,passionate patronswho, with the supportof a pool of architectsand artists conceivedthis monumentalstructure which isinextricably linked tothe Poggio Imperialefarmstead whose largeestates, woods andreserves stretched asfar as the current

The central courtyard.At the top and bottom.

The peristyle 1810-1823.

The Medici Villa of Poggio Imperiale

115114 The Medici Villa of Poggio Imperiale

Court’s policy on image,outside the city walls,between the city andthe countryside.Since 1865, the Villadel Poggio Imperialehas been the seat of theschool, EducandatoStatale della SS.Annunziata, which hasdistinguished itself asan important Stateeducation institute bothnationally andinternationally.

Cinzia Palumbo

Porta Romana graftedonto the ridge of theMedici family (BoboliGardens, Pitti Palace,the Uffizi, PalazzoVecchio) linked toFlorence itself. The Villadel Poggio Imperialethus became an idealspatial projection of the

The Chinese apartments,1780-1783.

Hall of the biblicalheroines, joint work byvarious artists, first half ofthe seventeenth century.

To the right:Hall of the Seasons,Giuseppe Maria Terreni,1776-1777

117116 Information

Palazzo Mediceo inSeravezzaViale Leonetto Amadei,230 · Seravezza (Lucca)Tel. +39 0584 757443 /Fax +39 0584 [email protected]

Free admission.Opening times areavailable online at:www.palazzomediceo.it

The Medici Villa of PetraiaVia della Petraia, 40Castello (Florence)Tel. +39 055 [email protected]

Free admission.Opening times areavailable online at:www.polomusealetoscana.beniculturali.it

The BoboliGardensPiazza Pitti, 1FlorenceTel. +39 055 294883

Free admission.Opening times areavailable online at:www.uffizi.it/giardino-boboli

The Garden ofPratolinoVia Fiorentina, 276Pratolino · Vaglia(Florence)Tel. +39 055 4080741

Free admission.Opening times areavailable online at:www.cittametropolitana.fi.it/parco-mediceo-di-pratolino

The Medici Villa of Poggio a CaianoPiazza de’ Medici, 14Poggio a Caiano (Prato)Tel. +39 055 [email protected]


The Medici Villa of Cerreto GuidiVia dei Ponti Medicei, 7Cerreto Guidi (Florence)[email protected]. +39 0571 55707


The Medici Villa of CareggiViale GaetanoPieraccini, 17 FlorenceTel. +39 055 212245

The villa is currentlyundergoing restoration.

The Villa Medici in FiesoleVisitors’ entrance: Via Fra Angelico, 2 ·Fiesole (Florence)[email protected]

The garden can bevisited only byappointment (the Villais closed to visitors). Monday-Friday9.00am-1.00pm.

The Medici Villa of CafaggioloVia Nazionale, 16Barberino di Mugello(Florence)Tel. +39 055 8479396

The villa is currentlyundergoing restoration.

The Medici Villa of TrebbioSan Piero a Sieve atTrebbio (Florence)

The Trebbio Castle canbe visited from April toOctober by phoning+39 339 302 9697 forgroups with fewer than20 and no more than30 people.www.trebbiomedicicastle.com

The Castello Villa’sGarden Via Castello, 47 Castello (Florence)Tel. +39 055 [email protected]


Information

119118 Information

The Medici Villa of ArtiminoViale Papa GiovanniXXIII, 1 · Artimino(Carmignano)Tel. +39 055 [email protected] ·

Free admission opening times: 7 days aweek, from 9am to 7pmVisits to the villa uponprior booking (based onavailability)www.artimino.com

The Medici Villa ofPoggio ImperialePiazzale del PoggioImperiale · [email protected]. +39 055 226171

Since the Villa is theseat of the girls’ schoolEducandato Statale SS. Annunziata, it is notopen to the public but itis currently possible tohave a guided tour ofthe museum area of thecomplex upon priorbooking

Free admission.Opening times areavailable online at:www.poggio-imperiale.gov.it

The Medici Villa La MagiaVia Vecchia Fiorentina ·first section, 63Quarrata (Pistoia)Tel. +39 0573 [email protected]

Free admission.Opening times areavailable online at:www.villalamagia.com

UNESCO 3

2013 Medici Villas and Gardens in Tuscany 6

Introduction 12

The Medici Villa of Cafaggiolo 30

The Medici Villa of Trebbio 36

The Medici Villa of Careggi 42

The Villa Medici in Fiesole 48

The Medici Villa of Castello 54

The Castello Villa’s Garden 58

The Medici Villa of Caiano 62

The Medici Villa La Petraia 68

The Boboli Gardens 74

The Medici Villa of Cerreto Guidi 80

Palazzo Mediceo in Seravezza 86

The Garden of Pratolino 92

The Medici Villa La Magia 98

The Medici Villa of Artimino 104

The Medici Villa of Poggio Imperiale 110

Information 116

Index

120

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