Description
FLORENCE (province) Villa Medicea surrounded by greenery, located in an ideal position for the climate and lighting. The first construction dates back to 1400, it was Lorenzo and Giovanni de' Medici, sons of Pier Francesco di Lorenzo de' Medici, who wanted it and then resold it in 1494, for 383 florins, to the Florentine nobleman Taddeo Ducci. After Teresa Ducci's death, the villa passed to her son, the noble Roberto Gherardi. Another change of ownership until it was sold to the Bolognese de' Bianchi family, descendants of the Medici. The Count Cav belonged to this last house. Filippo Sassoli de' Bianchi, a prominent figure in the political and social life of the area; cultured, lover of art, he financed the restoration of the church of Lumena and in 1926, as mayor, he had the Council Hall of the Palazzo de' Vicari of Scarperia restored, in the forms that can still be seen. He was also responsible for the restoration of his villa which, begun in 1898, freed the structure from subsequent additions, trying to recover the ancient forms. The Villa, in fact, although it contains traces of even older constructions, can be dated back to the 15th century, but in the first half of the 18th century it underwent notable renovations, mainly on the eastern and northern sides, in addition to the construction of the Chapel, as also demonstrated by the presence of a coat of arms of the Ducci family accompanied by the date 1735. The Villa, imposing in its fifteenth-century image, is presented within a tree-lined avenue from which you can glimpse the Loggia with the portico from which you access the vast halls connected to each other by arches throughout sixth which amplify the view, while each maintaining its own frescoes and coffered ceilings, which enhance its beauty and artistic elegance. The first hall is called the Medici Hall, since the fresco that frames the coffered ceiling shows the names and coats of arms of the dynasties who lived in the Villa: Medici, Gherardi, Ducci, Sassoli, De' Bianchi. In this room there is the imposing fireplace in pietra serena from the fourteenth century which bears the Medici coat of arms. The second room is called Michelangelo since its frescoes were restored according to the traditions of Michelangelo's school. The third and final room bears the name of one of the most important glass craftsmen of the nineteenth century, Galileo Chini, whose work we can admire here. It seems that Emanuele III visited the Villa and to thank the De' Bianchi family for their hospitality he personally asked Galileo Chini to create the large chandelier. In the vast park, you can find centuries-old trees, including two tall sequoias, but above all the only one in the whole of Mugello, "Faggio Rosso", a majestic tree that is supposed to be around 450 years old. From the park you can admire the Calvana Mountains, Mount Morello, Montesenario and the Falter
