The Medici Villa of Poggio a Caiano

Perched atop the hillock (poggio) and elevated by the platform of its portico, which accentuates its prominence, the villa extends into the landscape as a symbol of humanity's ordering influence over nature.

A Brief History

Construction began in the mid-1480s and continued uninterrupted until the death of Lorenzo the Magnificent in 1492. Work resumed in 1512 under the direction of his son Giovanni, who had since become Pope Leo X, and was completed towards the end of the 1510s.

The decorations on the facade and portico are classical: the pediment bears the Medici coat of arms above the frieze, in which the inclusion of polychrome glazed terracotta provides an element of continuity with 15th-century Tuscan tradition.

The building has witnessed more than just the Medici family. After an interlude under the House of Lorraine, it became the residence of Elisa Baciocchi, Napoleon Bonaparte's sister, in the 19th century. During the period when Florence was the capital of the Kingdom of Italy (1865-1871), it was renovated by King Victor Emmanuel II of Savoy, who designated it as one of his country residences.

The interior bears particularly interesting features left by the important figures who contributed to the villa's construction and decoration. Especially striking, on the piano nobile (main floor), is the majestic Hall of Leo X, which preserves almost entirely one of the most significant Tuscan fresco cycles of the 16th century, created by Pontormo, Andrea del Sarto, Franciabigio, and Alessandro Allori.

On the second floor, the Museum of Still Life displays around 200 paintings, most of which belong to the Medici collections.

Finally, extending outside the Villa are the garden and the park, dominated not only by the mass of the villa itself but also by the large 19th-century limonaia (lemon house), at the foot of which stand the monumental 16th-century stables.