If you have found a luxury villa in Florence or a villa with pool in Florence then we recommend spending plenty of time to both thoroughly explore all that interests you in that beautiful city and to also go beyond it to other attractions in the surrounding area. Florence is a great, pretty central base from which to explore the wider region of Tuscany. Whether you are renting a car or you want to rely on public transport, this is the best and easiest place from which to do both when planning day-trips to other parts of Tuscany such as the comune of Poggio a Caiano in the province of Prato, which is home to a stunning Medici Villa, gorgeous gardens, an excellent museum, and a pretty town.
The villa at Poggio a Caiano is set on the slopes of Mount Albano and was a summer residence for the Medici that was built for Lorenzo the Magnificent, according to plans by Giuliano da Sangallo. It is located right between Florence, Prato and Pistoia, areas over which the Medici and Florence worked to control. Begun at the end of the fifteenth century, but not completed until halfway through the sixteenth century, as work was interrupted by Lorenzo's death in 1492, the villa was continued under Pope Leo X, Lorenzo's son. This pause in the building process, however, would inadvertently give it the time to become one of the greatest architectural gems of the period as increasing refinements in implementing classical motifs and ideals into Renaissance architecture came about in the interim period. Furthermore, subsequent occupants made minimal changes to it over the following centuries, leaving it to remain a testament to Renaissance taste and ideals.
The villa at Poggio a Caiano is set on the slopes of Mount Albano and was a summer residence for the Medici that was built for Lorenzo the Magnificent, according to plans by Giuliano da Sangallo. It is located right between Florence, Prato and Pistoia, areas over which the Medici and Florence worked to control. Begun at the end of the fifteenth century, but not completed until halfway through the sixteenth century, as work was interrupted by Lorenzo's death in 1492, the villa was continued under Pope Leo X, Lorenzo's son. This pause in the building process, however, would inadvertently give it the time to become one of the greatest architectural gems of the period as increasing refinements in implementing classical motifs and ideals into Renaissance architecture came about in the interim period. Furthermore, subsequent occupants made minimal changes to it over the following centuries, leaving it to remain a testament to Renaissance taste and ideals.
Built around a central salone that recalls the oecus of Roman villas, employing classical decorative motifs on the exterior, and surrounded by an open loggia on the ground floor across all four façades of the building, the structure is opened to the outdoors and integrated with the stunning natural setting. Inside, the grand Salone is painted in allegorical frescoes celebrating the Medici family between 1519 and 1521, which were painted by the famous hands of Andrea del Sarto, Pontormo, Franciabigio, and Alessandro Allori. The gardens are made up of an English-style garden and a classic Italian-style garden and are filled with the scent of the lemons that weigh heavily on trees throughout the grounds. On a warm spring day when the riot of blooms first open or during a summer morning when the sun has ripened the colours of the garden, it is a wonderful place to stroll and explore.
In addition to the villa and the grounds, however, there is another important attraction at the villa at Poggio a Caiano: the museum. The Museum of Still Life was established on the second floor of the villa in 2007 and is, as one might imagine from the name, dedicated to still lives. Gathered from various galleries in Florence and originally belonging to the Medici, the collection is made up of over 200 works and shows the development of both the genre and Medici collecting practices and tastes. With stunning images of flowers, fruit, animals, and more, it is a collection that is bursting with colour and delicious detail. Dating from the end of the sixteenth century to the mid-eighteenth century, there are works by both Italian and foreign artists including the star of the museum, Bartolomeo Bimbi (who is represented by some 49 works in the collection), and others such as Willem Van Aelst, Felice Boselli, Jan Brueghel, Margherita Caffi, Giovanni Agostino Cassana, Filippo Napoletano, Giovanna Garzoni, Jan Davidsz De Heem, Monsù Aurora, Bartolomeo Ligozzi, Otto Marseus, Antoine Monnoyer, Cristoforo Munari, Andrea Scacciati, Giovanni Stanchi, and Franz Werner Tamm.
Both the museum and the villa and grounds are free to visit but reservations must be made in advance so, what are you waiting for? This gem of a building and stunning museum are two of the most wonderful examples in Tuscany, can be visited for free, and make for an easy and delightful day-trip if you have found a villa with pool in Florence!
Medici Villa of Poggio a Caiano and Museum of Still Life
Piazza de 'Medici, 14 59016 Poggio a Caiano (PO)
Tel. +39 055 877012
drm-tos.poggioacaiano@beniculturali.it
In addition to the villa and the grounds, however, there is another important attraction at the villa at Poggio a Caiano: the museum. The Museum of Still Life was established on the second floor of the villa in 2007 and is, as one might imagine from the name, dedicated to still lives. Gathered from various galleries in Florence and originally belonging to the Medici, the collection is made up of over 200 works and shows the development of both the genre and Medici collecting practices and tastes. With stunning images of flowers, fruit, animals, and more, it is a collection that is bursting with colour and delicious detail. Dating from the end of the sixteenth century to the mid-eighteenth century, there are works by both Italian and foreign artists including the star of the museum, Bartolomeo Bimbi (who is represented by some 49 works in the collection), and others such as Willem Van Aelst, Felice Boselli, Jan Brueghel, Margherita Caffi, Giovanni Agostino Cassana, Filippo Napoletano, Giovanna Garzoni, Jan Davidsz De Heem, Monsù Aurora, Bartolomeo Ligozzi, Otto Marseus, Antoine Monnoyer, Cristoforo Munari, Andrea Scacciati, Giovanni Stanchi, and Franz Werner Tamm.
Both the museum and the villa and grounds are free to visit but reservations must be made in advance so, what are you waiting for? This gem of a building and stunning museum are two of the most wonderful examples in Tuscany, can be visited for free, and make for an easy and delightful day-trip if you have found a villa with pool in Florence!
Medici Villa of Poggio a Caiano and Museum of Still Life
Piazza de 'Medici, 14 59016 Poggio a Caiano (PO)
Tel. +39 055 877012
drm-tos.poggioacaiano@beniculturali.it
Photo credits
Picture 1: Mongolo1984 / CC BY-SA 3.0
Picture 1: Mongolo1984 / CC BY-SA 3.0