Villa del Barone, Renaissance villa in Bagnolo di Sopra, Montemurlo, Italy.
Villa del Barone stands above Bagnolo di Sopra on Monte Javello, between the streams once called Sermogliana and Fontanelle. Its U-shaped plan, unusual for the Florentine area, may draw on the Farnesina in Rome. The symmetrical facade has eleven window axes, rusticated corner bands, and the Tempi coat of arms carved by Marcantonio Pandolfi in 1718.
The estate was built around 1530 by Florentine Baccio Valori and embodied his family's power. Following Valori's execution after the Battle of Montemurlo in 1537, the property was seized by Cosimo de Medici.
The name comes not from a nobleman but from the surrounding district called del Barone, traced to a Lombard root and probably an old farming settlement. The Tempi coat of arms, carved by Marcantonio Pandolfi in 1718, sits on the facade below the balcony, aligned with the central gable and its clock.
The property is privately owned and currently undergoing restoration, which means visits are tied to specific events. It is advisable to make arrangements in advance and check for opening dates before visiting.
The name does not come from a noble title: it derives from the surrounding area called del Barone, traced to a Lombard root and probably indicating an agricultural settlement. The U-shaped plan, unusual for the Florentine area, may draw on the Villa Farnesina in Rome by Baldassarre Peruzzi.
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