VILLAS AND GARDENS

TopTen

1 Villa Poggio a Caiano

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Giuliano da Sangallo restructured this greatest of Medici villas (see Villa Poggio a Caiano) in 1480 for Lorenzo the Magnificent. Until this point, country houses were fortified, with rooms facing an inner courtyard. Sangallo’s design was revolutionary, with rooms overlooking the countryside and a central hall with frescoes. The ballroom is a pinnacle of Mannerist painting by Pontormo, Andrea del Sarto, Filippino Lippi and Alessandro Allori. Francesco I and his second wife Bianca Cappello died here in 1587, apparently poisoned.

TopTen

Villa Poggio a Caiano

2 Villa Torrigiani

prac_info Via Gomberaio 3, Camigliano, Capannori • 058 3928 041 • Open Mar–Nov: 10am–1pm & 2:30–6pm daily (winter: to 5pm)

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Two magnificent wings of cypress trees announce this Renaissance villa and gardens. Rebuilt to form a majestic estate in the first half of the 17th century by the Marquis Nicolao Santini, the garden was inspired by the Palace of Versailles and decorated with flowered parterres, caves and a pool to reflect the villa’s façade.

3 Villa Vignamaggio

prac_info Vignamaggio, Greve • 055 854 661 • Open daily • Adm • www.vignamaggio.com

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The villa’s wines were, in 1404, the first to be called “Chianti” (see Villa Vignamaggio). This is also where the real Mona Lisa was born (1479) and where Kenneth Branagh’s Much Ado about Nothing (1993) was filmed. Guided tours offer wine samples; a full tour includes lunch in the enoteca.

4 Villa Demidoff

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Buontalenti laid out the vast Pratolino park (see Villa Demidoff) for Francesco I de’ Medici (1568–81). It was created for Bianca Cappello, Francesco’s mistress, and served as a setting for their wedding in 1579. The waterworks have long fallen into disrepair (the villa was demolished in 1824), but what remains is still spectacular, especially the figure of Appennino rising out of a lily pond.

TopTen

Appennino sculpture, Villa Demidoff

5 Villa di Artimino “La Ferdinanda”

prac_info Artimino, Carmignano • 055 8718 124 • House: open by appointment

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This 16th-century Buontalenti villa was built for Ferdinando I, most likely as a winter hunting lodge. Visitors can dine or spend the night here or pop into the wellness centre on the premises.

6 Villa di Castello

prac_info Via di Castello 47, Sesto Fiorentino • 055 452 691 • Open times vary, call ahead to check • Adm

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Cosimo I had Tribolo lay out the marvellous gardens in 1541, a combination of clipped hedges, ponds, ilex woods and statuary. The villa hosts the prestigious Accademia della Crusca, an Italian linguistics society.

7 Villa Reale di Marlia

prac_info Marlia, Capannori • 0583 30 009 • Open Mar–Oct: 10am–6pm daily • Closed Nov–Feb • Adm

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This 16th-century villa was radically altered by Elisa Baciocchi to suit her 19th-century Napoleonic tastes. Only the 17th-century gardens are open to visitors.

8 Villa Garzoni

prac_info Collodi • Open 9am–sunset daily (Nov–Feb: from 10am) • Adm • www.pinocchio.it

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The villa (1633–52) is currently closed to the public, but the Renaissance and Baroque garden, set into a steep hillside, is open to visitors.

9 Villa Mansi

prac_info Segromigno in Monte • 0583 920 234 • Hours vary, email [email protected] to confirm • Closed Sat & Sun • Adm

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This impressive 16th-century villa is studded with a selection of statues and contains mythological frescoes painted in the late 18th century. Juvarra’s Baroque gardens survive to the west side of the villa; the rest were landscaped in English style in the 19th century.

TopTen

The gardens of Villa Mansi

10 Villa Medicea di Cerreto Guidi

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This beautiful villa (see Borgo San Lorenzo), set close to the medieval capital of the Mugello region, was built in the mid-1500s as a hunting lodge for the Medici family. Today it houses the incredible Hunting Museum and an art gallery.

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