Plunge yourself in the atmosphere of the Italian Reinassance and discover the magnificant Medici Villas around Florence.
During the XVI Centry, the Medici were the most important family in Florence. They had about 30 villas in the surroundings of the old town and in the countryside. These manors were for the free time, for rest and hunting activities. Moreover, they hosted the exclusive, majestic parties the Medici family used to throw for the aristocracy.
They represent the most evoluted architecture in Tuscany of the time: the Barocco and Renaissance styles. For this reason, the Villas were the greatest pomps of the Medici Family, which decorated the dwelling with gardens, loggias and frescoes. Ultimately, they also commissioned masterpieces by famous Italian painters like Giorgio Vasari to enhance their Villas.
A new life for the Medici Villas after the Italian Reinassance
Today, the Villas have different aims. Some of them became museums, others are the headquarter of important istitutions (such as Villa di Castello, where the Crusca Academy established its offices). Beside these, some dwellings have become prestigious locations for events!
But there’s more. From 2013, 12 Medici Villas and 2 Gardens are part of the UNESCO World Heritage List. These places are the ones which better preserved the armony with the rural context in which they are. Moreover, they reflect the original Medici’s conception and therefore symbolize the true Reinassance spirit.
Among them you find the Boboli Garden, which still today offers a unique panorama of Florence. The Garden was used in the past for hunting practice, but we can legitimately imagine its labyrinth of paths has many secrets to unveil.
Besides the Boboli Garden, in Florence there are also Villa la Petraia, Villa Poggio Imperiale, Villa di Careggi and Villa di Castello with the very first Italian Garden. The surroundings of the city are equally worth. There you can find Villa di Belcanto in Fiesole and Villa di Cafaggiolo (the family’s hometown), which is not a luxury resort.
The Villa Demidoff’s Pratolino is also worth of mention. The original Medici manor no longer exists, but the park is still today one of the most beautiful of Tuscany.
Many other Villas were excluded from the selection. Still, they deserve a visit and will give you the chance to cover the unbeaten tracks of the Italian Reinassance. You will enjoy all their glorious past and feel that time still alive in the memories of the old dwellings.
Are you curious about these masterpieces and their fashinating atmosphere?