Villa Medici L'Ambrogiana

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Villa Medicea dell'Ambrogiana
L'ambrogiana , Giusto Utens , Museo di Firenze com'era , Firenze .
La Real Villa dell'Ambrogiana , Giuseppe Zocchi , 18th century print
The villa today

The Villa dell'Ambrogiana is a Medici villa on the left bank of the Arno at the confluence with the Pesa , in a picturesque location near the town of Montelupo Fiorentino . Its name comes from the Ambrogi family, who used to own it. Ferdinando I de 'Medici acquired the property in 1573, before his accession to the throne, from a certain Giuseppe Gafoni. After becoming Grand Duke in 1587, Ferdinando had the villa building expanded. Instead of two towers it now had four. Architect Raffaele Pagni was previously employed by Buontalenti . For stylistic reasons, some also suspect that Bartolomeo Ammanati and, above all, Buontalenti, who was admittedly seriously ill at the time, were also involved. One floor was added in the 17th century.

The villa dominates the surrounding landscape, the location on the Arno (which was navigable at the time), and on the Florence-Pisa road probably also had strategic reasons. The garden that has disappeared today is documented on a lunette picture from Utens.

L'Ambrogiana was a favorite residence of Cosimo III. de 'Medici , who also housed part of his art curiosities and botany collections here. The painter Ferdinando Tacca beautified the house. In 1677 the Grand Duke had a loggia built for his Gabinetto di storia naturale , where his court doctor Francesco Redi undertook medical experiments and animal breeding experiments. Bartolomeo Bimbi handed down pictures of the exotic animals and curiosities kept here, a calf with two heads, etc. (can be seen today in the Museo della Natura Morta by Poggio a Caiano ).

Another floor was added in the 18th century, Leopold II of Tuscany rededicated the villa as an asylum for the mentally ill. The impressive building has served as a prison since the 19th century . A guided tour of the house in groups is now possible once a week.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ CV Vasic, La villa dell'Ambrogiana , Firenze, 1985, p. 27.
  2. ↑ C. Vasic Vatovec, op.cit., 1985.
  3. ↑ See A. Fara, le ville di Bernardo Buontalenti nel tardo rinascimento toscano , in "Storia dell'Arte", Florence, 1977; A. Fara, Le ville Buontalentiane , Florence, 1978; A. Fara, Bernardo Buontalenti. L'Architettura, la guerra e l'elemento geometrico , Genova, 1988, pp. 210-211.

literature

  • Alessandro Alderighi: La villa dell'Ambrogiana ei Lorena. Tesi di laurea facoltà di Architettura di Firenze, relatore prof. Luigi Zangheri, nell'AA 1999/2000.
  • Isabella Lapi Ballerini: Le ville medicee. Guide completa. Giunti, Firenze 2003, ISBN 88-09-02994-1 .
  • Francesco Fontani: Viaggio pittorico della Toscana. Volume 2. Giuseppe Tofani e compagno, Florence 1801, p. 131.
  • Daniela Mignani: Le Ville Medicee di Giusto Utens. Nuova editione. Arnaud, Florence 1993, ISBN 88-8015-000-6 .

Web links

Commons : Villa dell'Ambrogiana  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 43 ° 43 ′ 50.8 "  N , 11 ° 0 ′ 52.1"  E