Medici villas and gardens in Tuscany

Immersed in the Tuscan landscape and built by the best architects of the time, the Medici villas and gardens are truly incredible architectural gems that offer an important testimony to Italian and European history. At the height of their power, between the 15th and 17th centuries, the Medici owned some thirty villas scattered across the Tuscan countryside that immediately represented a new model of princely residence. These properties belonging to the powerful Florentine house marked the overcoming of the feudal occupation of the land and the fortified building typology.

Due to their cultural, artistic and landscape significance, 12 villas and 2 gardens of the Medici family were included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2013.

Let us discover together the most beautiful and famous Medici villas and gardens.

VILLA DEL TREBBIO

One of the first villas, if not the first ever, of this dynasty is the Villa del Trebbio at San Piero a Sieve in the heart of Mugello. Built on the ruins of a Lombard tower, it was restored by the Florentine architect Michelozzo Michelozzi during the early 15th century on commission from Cosimo il Vecchio. The villa stands on the top of a hill, from which it dominates the Mugello plain, and is dominated by a high crenellated tower, with a beautiful Italian garden, terraces and a splendid 15th-century pergola with Roman-inspired columns. In the second half of the 15th century, it welcomed within its delightful walls none other than Amerigo Vespucci, fleeing from Florence where the plague was raging. The castle can be visited from April to October by appointment.

VILLA DI CASTELLO

Also known as Villa Reale and dating back to the 14th century, Villa di Castello is one of the oldest residences of the Medici family. Built on a hill to the north of Florence, it is the result of a stratification of building interventions. The villa is most famous for its splendid garden, which is one of the best preserved examples of an Italian garden according to the dictates of Leon Battista Alberti. The extraordinary Grotta degli Animali (Cave of the Animals), designed by Niccolò known as Il Tribolo and enlivened by spectacular water features, is particularly fascinating. Since 1974, the villa has been home to the Accademia della Crusca, which is why its interiors can only be visited by appointment on special occasions. The garden can be visited freely but it is advisable to check opening hours on the day.

VILLA OF POGGIO A CAIANO

One of the most famous is the Villa of Poggio a Caiano, near Florence. Its construction between about 1485 and 1520 was entrusted by Lorenzo de’ Medici to the genius of Giuliano da Sangallo, one of the most successful architects of the time in our country. It represents a splendid example of Renaissance architecture, which blends the lesson of the classics (in particular Vitruvius) with characteristic elements of Tuscan rural architecture. Since 2007, it has housed the Museo della Natura Morta (Still Life Museum), dedicated to paintings of naturalistic subjects mostly belonging to the Medici collections. Of great interest are the enchanting gardens surrounding the villa, dominated by the large 19th-century lemon house, at the foot of which stand the 16th-century stables. It is always advisable to check for opening times and visiting arrangements.

BOBOLI GARDEN

In the historical centre of Florence is the magnificent Boboli Gardens, one of the most important and oldest examples of formal Italian gardens in the world, taken as a model by many European courts. Built between the 16th and 19th centuries, first by the Medici and then by the Lorraine and Savoy families, it can be defined without a shadow of a doubt as a veritable open-air museum, both for its architectural and landscape setting and for its extraordinary collection of sculptures, ranging from Roman antiquities to the 20th century. Don’t miss: the 18th-century Kaffeehaus pavilion, a rare example of the Rococo style in Tuscany; Buontalenti’s Grotto, a masterpiece of European Mannerism; and the Fountain of the Ocean by Giambologna. It is part of the Palazzo Pitti museum itinerary and entry is subject to museum rules.

VILLA OF SERAVEZZA

Also definitely worth a visit is the Villa of Seravezza, in the province of Lucca, located at the foot of the Apuan Alps and at the confluence of the Serra and Vezza rivers. The architectural complex consists of the palace, the stables, the chapel and the garden. Compared to the other Medici villas, it presents different characteristics: to the luxury of the interior and exterior, the Villa di Seravezza contrasts a simple, almost severe architecture of a rustic fortified villa. The main building of the complex is the palace, built between 1561 and 1565 at the behest of Cosimo I de’ Medici. After having been used for a long time as a municipal seat, the palace is now home to the Sirio Giannini Library, the Municipal Historical Archive and the Museum of Work and Popular Traditions of Historical Versilia. The villa-palace can be visited from June to September.

PARK OF PRATOLINO

A few kilometres from the centre of Florence, precisely in the municipality of Vaglia, is the Parco mediceo di Pratolino, which the Florentines still call Villa Demidoff, after the family of Russian origin that bought it in 1872. The original park, which was destroyed in 1822, was built in the second half of the 16th century for Grand Duke Francesco I de’ Medici to a design by Bernardo Buontalenti. Inside, works by great artists can be admired, including: the Colossus of the Apennines, by the mannerist sculptor Giambologna; and various artefacts by Buontalenti’s genius from the original Medici. It offers trails for trekking or Nordic walking enthusiasts and is the ideal place for a trip out of town, even with children. The park can be visited from June to October. It is advisable to check opening hours.

VILLA LA MAGIA

In the heart of Tuscany, in the municipality of Quarrata (Pistoia), stands the princely Villa La Magia. Founded as a tower-house of the Pistoiese Panciatichi family in the 14th century, it became the property of the Medici in 1584, who commissioned the court architect Bernardo Buontalenti to draw up a project for the renovation of the villa and the creation of the lake. A historic meeting between Duke Alessandro de’ Medici and Emperor Charles V took place here in 1536. The villa includes a garden, with flower beds bordered by stones and bricks, and two lemon houses. The park surrounding the villa houses the contemporary environmental art collection ‘The Spirit of the Place’ with works by Fabrizio Corneli, Anne and Patrick Poirier, Nagasawa, Marco Bagnoli, Maurizio Nannucci and Daniel Buren. For opening hours and how to visit, please always check.

These are just some of the Medici villas and gardens. There are also others, less famous but no less interesting.