The Medicean villa in Cerreto Guidi was built between 1564 and 1567 by order of Cosimo I de` Medici atop a hill near a marshy land called "Padule di Fucecchio", in an area of great strategic interest, where Cosimo loved to hunt and fish.

Built on the ruins of a 14th-century castle once belonging to the Guidi family, the impressive and elegant villa was built in the severe style the Medici family loved so much. Due to its position right in the heart of Tuscany, the Medici often stayed and relaxed here during their journeys to the coast.

The history of the villa is linked to a sanguinary episode: in fact, in 1576 Paolo Giordano Orsini killed his wife Isabella de` Medici, whom he suspected of infidelity, right here.

The last member of the Medici family died heirless and in 1738 the Habsburg-Lorrain, the new Grand Dukes of Tuscany, became also the new owners of the villa. In the following centuries, the villa underwent several transfers of property, until in 1969 it was given to the Italian government provided that it was transformed into a national museum.

An interesting collection of portraits of the members of the Medici family, some 18th-century tapestry and pieces of furniture dating back to different times are exposed in the villa.