Villa Schifanoia
Villa Schifanoia is a villa and gardens in Fiesole, Tuscany, central Italy. It is near the boundary with the Province of Florence.
Contents
History
- 15th century
The villa, whose name refers to its leisure nature (its name means literally "Avoiding-boredom"), was built over the remains of a farm house at the Villa Palmieri. The central nucleus, dating to the 15th century, belonged to the Cresci family until 1550, when it was acquired by Bartolomeo di Bate di Zaccheria. Alexandre Dumas sojourned in the villa and dedicated one of his books to it.Template:Citation needed
- 20th century
After a series of property changes, in 1927 it was bought by the Myron Taylor, American ambassador to the Vatican during the reign of Pope Pius XII. Taylor restored the villa to house his art collection. He created a large terraced Giardino all'italiana on the southern facade of the villa. Statues and garden vases abound in the gardens.
After his death the villa went to the Vatican and, for some time, it served as a home for American women who studied in Florence.
In 1986 it was acquired by Italy as home to the European University Institute.
See also
- Italian Renaissance garden
