Medici Villa of Petraia in Florence
Villa of Petraia - Florence
The old castle that already existed in 1362 changed owners several times (Brunelleschi, Strozzi, Alessandra dei Bardi, Salutati) and was finally acquired by the Medici when they returned to Florence in 1530. Transferred from Cosimo I to his son, Cardinal Ferdinando, in 1568, it was enlarged and transformed into a villa on initiative of the latter who became Grand Duke after the death of his brother Francis I (1587). This general architectural layout, that typically reflects the style of Buontalenti, owed to Davide Fortini, was later integrated with decorative elements and wall paintings by its owners. The two cycles of frescoes that fully cover the walls of the courtyard belong in fact to the Medici period. The central section of first fresco, by Cosimo Daddi, commissioned by the wife of Ferdinando, Cristina of Lorraine, shows the "Deeds of Goffredo di Buglione during the siege of Jerusalem". The other fresco commissioned by Lorenzo de` Medici to Baldassarre Franceschini named the "Volterrano", illustrates, in the space below the two loggias, episodes from the Medici`s life and can therefore be rightly enough considered one of the most representative examples of Florentine painting in the early 17th century. It was again Ferdinando who commissioned the decoration of the Chapel on the first floor, attributed to Bernardino Poccetti.
The walls paintings in the chapel on the first floor and in some of the rooms were instead executed during the Lorraine period, although the palace owes its present-day layout (iron and glass panel covering the courtyard, its transformation into a large ball room and the arrangement of the furniture) to the Savoy. On this occasion, the Savoy brought several fabrics and furniture decors from other residences they owned in Turin, Modena, Lucca and Parma.
Even the large garden surrounding the villa bears trace of the historical stratification of the building. The base layout, clearly dating back to the late 16th century, has been enriched by 18th-19th century additions, such as the so-called "Piano della figurina", decorated with the Fountain of Fiorenza (Niccolo Tribolo, Pierino da Vinci and Giambologna) and the English-style park on the northern side, created with the typically romantic taste that characterised the first half of the 19th century. .... from "Museums and Galleries of Florence and surroundings" (Apt Firenze)
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