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
The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (800 BC to AD ...
by
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 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 ...
, 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 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 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].
See also
* Medici villas
References
Houses completed in 1587
Gardens in Tuscany
Ambrogiana
Ambrogiana
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