The Villa di Montevettolini is a
Medici villa in the comune of
Monsummano Terme
Monsummano Terme is an ''comune'' located in the Province of Pistoia, Tuscany, central Italy. It is located in the Valdinievole, and is a popular spa resort.
It is composed of two separate nuclei: Monsummano Alto, of Etruscan origins and with a c ...
,
Tuscany
it, Toscano (man) it, Toscana (woman)
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, population_blank1_title =
, population_blank1 =
, demographics_type1 = Citizenship
, demographics1_footnotes =
, demographics1_title1 = Italian
, demogra ...
, central
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
.
History
Also called Monte Veturino, the
villa
A villa is a type of house that was originally an ancient Roman upper class country house. Since its origins in the Roman villa, the idea and function of a villa have evolved considerably. After the fall of the Roman Republic, villas became s ...
s was built after 1595 by commission of Grand Duke
Ferdinand I of Tuscany
Ferdinando I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany (30 July 1549 – 3 February 1609) was Grand Duke of Tuscany from 1587 to 1609, having succeeded his older brother Francesco I.
Early life
Ferdinando was the fifth son (the third surviving at ...
on a high hill at the feet of Monte Albano, where a large hunting reserve (the so-called Parco Reale) was located. The architect was Gherardo Mechini, a pupil of
Bernardo Buontalenti
Bernardo Buontalenti (), byname of Bernardo Delle Girandole ( 1531 – June 1608), was an Italian stage designer, architect, theatrical designer, military engineer and artist and inventor of italian ice cream.
Biography
Buontalenti was born in ...
, who included some pre-existing structures from the medieval borough, such as a fortress and a stretch of walls. The building was finished with the 1620s. The result was a villa with a severe and compact appearance, with a polygonal plan, resembling more a defensive fortress than a patrician residence. It was used as administrative base for the Medici estates in the area.
The villa was depicted by
Giusto Utens
Giusto Utens or Justus Utens (died 1609) was a Flemish painter who is remembered for the series of Medicean villas in lunette form that he painted for the third Grand Duke of Tuscany, Ferdinando I, in 1599–1602.
He moved to Carrara about 15 ...
in a series of
lunettes portraying the Medici villas. The building was frequently used by Ferdinand I; his grandson
Ferdinand II sold it in 1650, together with its surrounding lands to the Bartolomei family. In 1871 it was acquired by prince Marcantonio
Borghese
The House of Borghese is a princely family of Italian noble and papal background, originating as the Borghese or Borghesi in Siena, where they came to prominence in the 13th century and held offices under the ''commune''. During the 16th century, ...
: also owner of the
Villa Medici di Cafaggiolo, he restored it. In 2019, the Borghese family still owns the site.
Sources
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{{Coord, 43, 51, 32.73, N, 10, 50, 47.69, E, type:landmark, display=title
Montevettolini
Houses completed in the 17th century
Villas in Tuscany