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Villa Chigi a Vicobello is certainly the most important example of Renaissance residence in the province of Siena. Baldassarre Peruzzi designed the villa during the 16th century by order of the Chigi-Zondadari family.
The members of the Chigi family loved to spend their summers in this villa, whereas Cardinal Flavio Chigi liked hunting and welcoming his guests in the park.
The terraced garden is the most valuable element in the domain. A lot of staircases connect the various terraces; every terrace bears the name of the plants that are cultivated in it: we therefore have the "giardino dei limoni" (the garden of lemons), the "pomario" (the fruit orchard), the "giardino delle azalee" (the garden of azaleas) and the so-called "pratini" - terrace with meadows and flower-beds.
Particularly important is the so-called "giardino botanico" (botanical garden): in the 16th century, this part of the park was merely a vegetable garden, but during the 20th century Bonaventura Chigi Zondadari planted here numerous exotic plants, such as a ginkgo biloba and a cedar of Lebanon.
In the park, there are also a fish-pool and chapel featuring an elaborate structure.
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