The Villa L'Ambrogiana was a rural palace or villa built during the late-

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...

Ferdinand I de' Medici 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 t ...

; it is located at the confluence of the rivers

Pesa The Pesa is a river in Tuscany, central Italy. It has a length of 53 km, and, after crossing the provinces of Siena and Florence, flows into the Arno River near Montelupo Fiorentino Montelupo Fiorentino is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the ...

and

Arno The Arno is a river in the Tuscany region of Italy. It is the most important river of central Italy after the Tiber. Source and route The river originates on Monte Falterona in the Casentino area of the Apennines, and initially takes a s ...

, in the municipality of

Montelupo Fiorentino Montelupo Fiorentino is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Florence in the Italian region Tuscany, located about southwest of Florence. Geography The area is predominantly hilly and is crossed by the river Pesa that, particu ...

History

Originally, the site was occupied by a casino owned by the Ardinghetti, who sold it to the Corboli, and then to the Medici. Construction of the present palace took place circa 1587, putatively using designs 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 ...

, and built over a pre-existing structure. In the 19th century, Leopold II converted the villa into a mental asylum. In 1886, it was converted into a jail for women and minors, and later into a jail for those judged mentally ill. The Villa and grounds in the 17th century were used by

Francesco Redi Francesco Redi (18 February 1626 – 1 March 1697) was an Italian physician, naturalist, biologist, and poet. He is referred to as the "founder of experimental biology", and as the "father of modern parasitology". He was the first person to cha ...

for anatomic studies of leprosy, and by

Andrea Scacciati Andrea Scacciati (12 August 1642, Florence - 6 June 1710, Florence) was an Italian painter in the Baroque art, Baroque style, known mostly for his flower paintings. He is often confused with the engraver, Andrea Scacciati (1725-1771), sometimes ...

and

Bartolomeo Bimbi image:Bartolomeo Bimbi.jpg, left, 180px, Medici citrus collection, 1715 Bartolomeo Bimbi (15 May 1648 – 1729) was a Florence, Florentine painter of still lifes, commissioned by his patrons including Cosimo III de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscan ...

to create paintings of flora and fauna for the Grand-Duke

Cosimo III de' Medici Cosimo III de' Medici (14 August 1642 – 31 October 1723) was Grand Duke of Tuscany from 1670 until his death in 1723, the sixth and penultimate from the House of Medici. He reigned from 1670 to 1723, and was the elder son of Grand Duke Ferdinan ...

. Still in use as an institution for psychiatric illness, guided visits to parts of the building can be requested. The last patient leaves the Montelupo Fiorentino facility in the first ten days of February 2017, In the following months the complex returns from the Ministry of Grace and Justice in availability of the State Property Agency. In 2017, a public tender was published to study a guide plan for the complex, project edited by the winners of the tender, Coopculture and P&M Architecture. .Itinerari Scientifici in Toscana
entry on the villa].

References

Houses completed in 1587 Gardens in Tuscany Ambrogiana Ambrogiana {{Italy-garden-stub

History

See also

References