Villas in Florence: Villa Medici in Fiesole
Of all the Medicean residences, Villa Medici, also known as "Villa Belcanto" or "Palagio di Fiesole", is at the same time one of the better conserved and less renowned.
Unlike the villa in Cafaggiolo and the "Castello del Trebbio", the villa in Fiesole does not feature any military-defensive elements and does not stands at the centre of any farm. The villa presents a definitely Renaissance structure and it was a place where the Medici could relax far from the chaotic city life.
Michelozzo built the villa between 1458 and 1461 by order of Giovanni de` Medici, Cosimo the Elder`s favourite son, who loved art and architecture.
Villa Medici is connected to the famous historical episode of the so-called "Pazzi conspiracy". According to the plot originally hatched by the rivals of the Medici, Lorenzo the Magnificent and his brother Giuliano should have been killed in the villa in Fiesole during a banquet. Due to Giuliano`s indisposition, the original plan was not carried on. The day after, however, Giuliano was stabbed to death in the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore and Lorenzo was wounded.
The Medici owned the villa until 1671, when Cosimo III sold it to Vincenzo del Sera. Then the residence underwent several transfers of property, before being bought by Horace Walpole`s sister-in-law, lady Oxford, in 1772. Lady Oxford commissioned a series of changes in the building and in the garden.
In 1959 the Mazzini Marchi family bought the villa, which in the 19th and early 20th centuries belonged to several English and American families.
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