The Medici Villa Lappeggi in Grassina
The Villa Medici Lappeggi is located in Grassina in the province of Florence. The coat of arms is colored gold with six balls, of which the highest instead of being red like the others, is blue with three gold lilies.
The location of the villa is certainly important as it is located in one of the most beautiful and scenic areas of Tuscany. It was originally a house with a tower and belonged to the Bardi family. In the sixteenth century it was sold to Gualtierotti, to Bartolini Salimbeni and to the Ricasoli. In 1569 the Prince Ferdinando de' Medici bought the villa and its farms. Almost immediately, the Prince became Grand Duke entrusting the renovation works to his architect Bernardo Buontalenti. Buontalenti ended the renovation of the villa in 1585. In this villa, Buontalenti approached to the idea of opening to the outside, typical of the projects by the Sienese architect Peruzzi. Buontalenti built a large U-shaped villa rather than a rectangular house. As you can see from the painting by Utens, however, Buontalenti built a crenellated wall opposite the open side of the courtyard an that closed again somehow the the villa from the outside.
Other major renovations took place in 1667 when the owner became the Cardinal Francesco Maria de' Medici. He calls the architect Antonio Ferri. Ferri opened towards the courtyard garden and built a terrace with two stairs. In addition, he embellished the garden with statues, fountains and symmetrical flower beds. Particularly interesting also the eighteenth-century frescoes by Giuseppe Zocchi, Alessandro Gherardini and Pier Dandini. The stuccos are by Giovan Battista Ciceri. The furnishings are elegant and sumptuous, and the villa was wielded by the cardinal for parties, receptions and banquets.
After the Medici dynasty, the house passed to the Lorena until 1814 when it was sold to private individuals. Among the owners also Giovanni Dupré, a leading sculptor of the late nineteenth century. Today the villa is privately owned and not open to visitors. Although the magnificence of the eighteenth century, very little remains today.
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A selection of our most requested villas in the area:
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Small villa sleeping 6 near Reggello, in Valdisieve, just a few kilometres from Florence. Swimming pool, Internet connection, air conditioning. Cooking lessons, dinners and guided tours are organised upon request.
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