Medici Villas – Florence area

Medici Villas – Florence area

It is quite obvious, that the most beautiful country houses around Florence were built by the Medici. The oldest of these great villas were to serve as fortified shelters in case of too hot political moods in the city., but in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries., when the family was the undisputed ruler of the city, the villas became even more sumptuous and symbolized the power of the dynasty with their sheer splendor. They also fulfilled an economic function: as Florence's role as an industrial city diminished, The Medici decided to invest part of their resources in agriculture.

Villa Medicea di Careggi

Originally a fortified farmstead, Villa di Careggi stayed in 1430 r. rebuilt by Michelozz on behalf of Cosim the Elder, but she is particularly attached to his grandson, Lawrence the Magnificent, for here his academy of Platonic scholars used to gather.. Lawrence, his father and Cosimo died in this villa. The one best known for its Medici villas is now home to nurses and you usually need to get permission in advance to visit the interiors. (•2774329), although sometimes it is enough to report to the office behind the entrance, and access to the surrounding gardens and forests is unlimited. 5-the kilometer section from the train station to the villa can be overcome by bus number 14c or go on foot from La Petraia (look down).

Villa Medicea della Petraia

Villa della Petraia (bus no 28 from the train station; wt.-nd. 9.00-14.00; Free entrance), currently located in the industrial sector on the northern edge of Florence, commissioned by the future Grand Duke Ferdinand I was in the seventh and eighth decades of the sixteenth century. transformed from a medieval castle by Buontalen-ti. In turn, the interior was rebuilt by Victor Emmanuel II, which covered the inner courtyard with glass, to turn it into a ballroom; its walls are covered with a seventeenth-century cycle of frescoes glorifying the Medici. Bronze statue of Venus, currently moved to a small room inside, formerly adorned a marble fountain on the upper terrace of a magnificent garden (Tue-Fri. 9.00-14.00, sb. i nd. 9.00-until dark).

Villa Medicea di Castello

A little over five minutes away from La Petraia is Villa di Castello, bought in 1477 r. by Lorenzo and Giovanni deMedici, cousins of Lawrence the Magnificent and the main patrons of Botticelli. The villa is famous for its spectacular gardens (wt.-nd.

9.00-until dark; Free entrance), founded by Tribol for Cosim I and completed by Buontalenti, who also rebuilt the house itself. Delighted with labyrinths, with fountains and countless Mannerist tricks, Montaigne considered the gardens to be the most beautiful in Europe. Among the many peculiarities, the trembling figure of January by Ammannati stands out, a fountain with three bowls topped by the same sculptor with figures of Hercules and Antheus and grotto degli Animali, a cave hollowed out by a human hand, at whose walls stands a menagerie of various creatures.

Villa Medicea di Poggio e Caiano

The most complete idea of life in the Medici villas at the peak of the family's success can be obtained at Villa Medicea di Poggio e Caiano (wt.-sb. 9.00-13.30, nd. 9.00-12.30; 3000 L), 18 km northwest of Florence, at the foot of Monte Albano. (Getting to The COPIT bus from Piazza Santa Maria Novella; what 30 Min, driving time 30 Min). W 1480 r. Lawrence the Magnificent purchased the farmstead on the site and commissioned Giulian da Sangallo to rebuild it into a classic country palace — the only surviving architectural design inspired by Lawrence.. The additions of later family members blended well with Sangall's design — for example, the construction of an impressive entrance loggia was commissioned by Lawrence's son., Giovanni, future Pope Leo X. From the inside, the building is centered around a double-height living room, which the architect built on the site of the former courtyard; among the sixteenth-century frescoes are the works of Pontorm and del Sart. The Dukes of Lorraine transformed the gardens into an English-type landscape park; they contain wonderful old trees (pn.-sb. 9.00 until dark, nd. 9.00-12.30).

Villa dellArtimino

From Poggio e Caiano there is a bus to the south, next to COMEANA, to the walled village of Artimino, where is Villa Artimino located, sometimes called La Ferdinanda (Tue summer. 8.00-12.00 i 14.00-18.00; in winter Tue. 8.30-12.00 i 14.00-16.00; Free entrance). Designed by Buontalenti as a hunting lodge for Ferdinand I, the villa has the appearance of a beautified fortress, and its most distinctive exterior feature earned it the nickname "villa with a hundred chimneys". The interior is sympathetically unpretentious; in the basement there is a museum of Etruscan finds from the graves of Comean, completely incomprehensibly active at different times than the rest of the house (sb. 15.30-18.30, nd. 9.00-12.00, pn. 9.00-12.00 i 15.00-18.00; 3000 L).

Villa Demidoff di Pratolino

Nothing left of Francesca I's favorite villa, Villa DemidofT in Pratolino, except for the vast park, and this one is only a shadow of its former glory (1 V-24 VIII Fri-Sun. 10.00-20.00; 2000 L, pt. VI-IX free admission). Mechanical toys, trick fountains and other pranks, installed by Buontalenti in the Pratolino estate, were among the most sophisticated in the world and required such service, that in the park there was a home for court mechanics. Only the magnificent Appenino Giambologni – a man-mountain gushing with water – has survived from the original garden, but the park is still one of the most pleasant green areas in the Florence area.. Lies 12 km north of the city, and you can get here by bus number 25.

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