Villas in Florence: the Medicean Villa in Cafaggiolo in Barberino di Mugello
The villa in Cafaggiolo, north of Florence, is one of the most renowned Medicean villas. In a famous lunette by Giusto Utens, it is also called "Cafagiolo".
The villa standing in strategic position on along the road connecting Florence to Bologna belonged to the Medici family since the 14th century. Michelozzo renovated the villa, which was built for defensive purposes, in the early 15th century by order of Cosimo the Elder and transformed it in a sumptuous country residence.
Lorenzo the Magnificent loved spending the summer in this villa with his friends, the famous humanistic philosophers and writers Marsilio Ficino, Pico della Mirandola and Agnolo Poliziano. Lorenzo is said to have written his poem "La Nencia da Barberino", dedicated to a local girl, in the villa in Cafaggiolo, surrounded by a vast Renaissance garden.
Lorenzo the Magnificent`s successors, in particular Cosimo I and his sons Francis I and Ferdinand I, transformed the villa in a hunting lodge, were they went especially in autumn.
The Habsburg-Lorraine used the villa as a holiday accommodation.
After the creation of the Kingdom of Italy, the villa was sold to the Borghese family and underwent several major changes. The park was renovated and transformed into an English garden, whereas in the building some elements dating back to Michelozzo`s epoch have been maintained.
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