This Tuscan Villa Marked the Beginning of a Great Medici Romance
Address: Bagno A Ripoli, Florence, Tuscany
This property is listed with Knight Frank for an undisclosed price.
Set in the heart of Tuscany with views over the Arno River stands Villa La Tana, a majestic Renaissance villa surrounded by formal italian gardens. The property is located just 13 km from the city of Florence.
Built in the 16th century, the villa was the setting of a great Medici love story: the Grand Duke Francesco I de Medici, heir to the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, gifted the villa to his lover, the beautiful Venetian noblewoman, Bianca Cappello, who he would go on to marry.
Bianca Cappello by Alessandro Allori
The property would be their familial home until their death, when it was purchased by the Santa Maria Nuova hospital. The property was never used as a hospital, but rather the villa and the several hundred acres of land were put to use for making wine, olive oil, and other food sold in the city.
The villa that stands today is the realization of its next owners, the Ricasoli Firidolfi, and the present-day villa bears their coat of arms on the facade. Villa La Tana, then a manor home, was purchased in 1631 by Baron Ricasoli from the Hospital of Santa Maria Nuova. (Today, Ricasoli’s descendants produce Chianti wine in Tuscany.)
Although renovations began almost immediately, major changes to the structure occured in 1740, thanks to Leon Pasquale Francesco Ricasoli, who hired the architect Giulio Foggini to transform the property into the magnificent villa we see today.
The interiors were also updated in the 18th century, most notably on the first floor. The rooms were eliminated to make space for a grand hall featuring stunning seascape frescos by Antonio Carocci (1722). The artist described Villa la Tana as “the most beautiful among the villas in this part of Florence’s surroundings.”
In the 19th century, architect Poggi (responsible for eliminating the walls around the city of Florence and designing the Viale Michelangiolo) updated the villa once more with a grand, cypress-lined driveway leading up to the villa, where visitors are greeted by a grand staircase divided into two ramps flanking a beautiful grotto area with a statue of Poseidon.
The present day formal italian gardens are much unchanged from the 18th century, with geometric iris and azalea beds. The fragrant gardens of this Renaissance villa - as well as the legacy of Bianca Capello - are what inspired the current owner, Simone Cosac Naify to create her first perfume for her brand Simone Cosac Profumi: "Perle di Bianca".
The villa features 5 grand reception rooms, 11 bathrooms, and 6-12 bedrooms. The property stretches across 31.14 acres with a pool, gardens, several outbuildings, and additional staff quarters.
All photos belong to the listing agency.
