Villa di Montevettolini

Villa di Montevettolini by Giusto Utens.

Rear view of the villa.

The Villa di Montevettolini is a Medici villa in the comune of Monsummano Terme, Tuscany, central Italy.

History

Also called Monte Veturino, the villas was built after 1595 by commission of Grand Duke Ferdinand I of Tuscany on a high hill at the feet of Monte Albano, where a large hunting reserve (the so-called Parco Reale) was located. The architect was Gherardo Mechini, a pupil of Bernardo Buontalenti, who included some pre-existing structures from the medieval borough, such as a fortress and a stretch of walls. The building was finished with the 1620s. The result was a villa with a severe and compact appearance, with a polygonal plan, resembling more a defensive fortress than a patrician residence. It was used as administrative base for the Medici estates in the area.

The villa was depicted by Giusto Utens in a series of lunettes portraying the Medici villas. The building was frequently used by Ferdinand I; his grandson Ferdinand II sold it in 1650, together with its surrounding lands to the Bartolomei family. In 1871 it was acquired by prince Marcantonio Borghese: also owner of the Villa Medici di Cafaggiolo, he restored it. In 2019, the Borghese family still owns the site.

Sources

• Lapi Bini, Isabella (2003). Le ville medicee. Guida Completa. Florence: Giunti.
• Mignani, Daniela (1993). Le Ville Medicee di Giusto Utens. Arnaud.