Villa Medici, Renaissance palace museum in Poggio a Caiano, Italy.
Villa Medici is a Renaissance palace set on a hilltop between Florence and Pistoia, featuring classical architectural elements such as barrel vaults and ionic temple facades. The building contains monumental apartments, museum sections, and sits within grounds that include both formal and natural gardens.
Lorenzo il Magnifico commissioned architect Giuliano da Sangallo in 1480 to build this residence, converting a former fortress into a noble estate. The project reflected the family's ambition to display their power through architectural innovation in the Tuscan landscape.
The second floor houses the Museum of Still Life, displaying over 200 paintings from the Medici collections created between the late 16th and mid-18th centuries. The rooms show how the family favored this artistic genre and integrated it into their daily surroundings.
The villa is open several days a week to visitors and offers free admission to the monumental rooms and museum areas. Guided tours can be arranged in advance and help visitors understand the art collections and architecture more deeply.
During World War II, the estate served as a shelter for important Tuscan artworks and provided refuge for displaced people. This lesser-known role shows how the historic building contributed to protecting cultural heritage beyond its original representational purpose.
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