Villa I Collazzi, Mannerist villa in Scandicci, Italy

Villa I Collazzi is a Mannerist villa in Scandicci built on a rectangular terrace atop a hill with a U-shaped layout and a raised courtyard facing Florence. The structure features triple-sided double loggias that frame the views toward the city, and spacious interior rooms with barrel vaults that create a sense of grandeur.

The villa was built over a long period for the Florentine Dini family. Its design is most likely by Santi di Tito, though a later tradition naming Michelangelo was excluded by a scientific study in the 2000s; Santi di Tito may have consulted Michelangelo, whom he knew in Rome. In 1933 the Marchi family acquired the property and completed the unfinished building by symmetrically copying the finished half, even reopening old local quarries for pietra serena.

The chapel off the courtyard holds Santi di Tito's altarpiece of the Wedding at Cana (1593), painted for the marriage of Agostino II Dini and Ginevra Bandini Baroncelli. The couple appears among the figures, and the artist included his own portrait at upper left. The painting has almost never left its chapel.

Access to the property is through a cypress-lined avenue created in 1853, which provides an elegant approach to the residence. Visits require advance contact with the management to arrange timing and confirm what areas are accessible.

In 1938 landscape architect Pietro Porcinai added a rectangular pool with yellow and grey quartzite surfaces and pietra serena edges, integrating it seamlessly into the lawn. The pool was positioned to maintain clear views toward Florence rather than dominating the vista.