Furnishings in the Tuscan historical villas
What better way to make a home cozy if not an elegant and refined furnishings? The lords of the historical villas in Tuscany had many rooms to decorate according to their tastes and the fashions of the moment.
The transfer of ownership and a succession of different furniture trends have made it difficult for scholars to find out how the villas were decorated centuries ago and what were the tastes of individual families. Some contemporary documents and various representations, however, give us a vivid picture of the halls of some of the country villas. Of Villa Castello we know for example that the Grand Dukes favored paintings of flowers, rare plants and still lifes. Villa Ambrogiana housed many paintings instead of even rare animals, including a painting of a rare species of white parrot that came from India. Villa La Topaia devoted part of its rooms with paintings of different varieties of grapes, a special requests to the painter Bimbi. The 17th-century drawings depicted by Diacinto Maria Marmo represent drawers, chests, paintings, fireplaces as they probably were in the villas.
Several houses had corridors or entire rooms decorated with large wall tapestry. The subjects of the tapestries were generally hunting or fishing scenes. For example, the famous halls of tapestries in Villa Bianchi Bandinelli in Geggiano near Siena and in Villa Demidoff in San Donato near Florence. In Villa Demidoff we know that there were works by Delacroix, by Demarne and by Greuze. The magnificence of the furnishings of Villa Demidoff is denoted also by the names given to the various areas of the villa : Dutch Hall and Flemish painting Hall, Modern French Painting Room, Arabic Room, Turkish Room, Indian Room, Hall of Silver, Hall of Ivories , Mosaics Room and Hall of Statues. There was also the Russian Chapel and the Catholic Chapel. The Da Prato describes the inlaid windows and doors and in particular the walls of the dining room with inlays representing the Siena Cathedral and the Cathedral of Orvieto.
More recently, photos of Alinari show us the luxury of Villa Fabbricotti that hosted the Queen Victoria of England in 1894. Murano lamps, fine china vases, imposing beliefs, and maioliche and elegant sofas and armchairs. It stands out even a tiger skin rug. The eccentricity of the hosts could then be seenon the selection of the furnishings for their villas. In the early years of the twentieth century, the Art Nouveau style involves also furniture. Villa Peragallo in Calenzano is an example of it .
Choose one of our villas for rent in Tuscany.
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A selection of our most requested villas in the area:
Villa with pool near Montepulciano (Siena), in Valdichiana. Sleeps 5, garden, air conditioning, hydromassage, Internet connection, outdoor toys for children. Spas, golf club, tennis club and riding stable within a few kilometres.
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Holiday villa a few kilometres from the beaches of Versilia and from Lucca. Sleeps 12/13, swimming pool, garden, hydromassage. Riding stables and tennis courts nearby.
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Villa farmhouse for rental vacation in Garfagnana, Tuscany. Farmhouse with accommodation for 8 people, garden, swimming pool, Internet connection.
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Luxury villa sleeping 8 a few kilometres from Gambassi Terme, in the heart of Florence countryside. Garden, swimming pool, hydromassage, Internet connection. Tennis court, riding stable and golf club nearby. Possibility of organising horseback and mountain-bike rides in the neighbourhood.
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