Lorenzo the Magnificent's villa, model of the Renaissance country house
Commissioned by Lorenzo the Magnificent from Giuliano da Sangallo around 1485, the villa of Poggio a Caiano is the prototype of the Renaissance villa: a cubic building raised on an arcaded base, with a classical portico like an ancient temple, the first time this motif was applied to a private house. It is part of the UNESCO site of the Medici villas and gardens.
Inside, the great Salone di Leone X, with a barrel vault, is frescoed by Andrea del Sarto, Pontormo and Alessandro Allori; Pontormo's lunette of Vertumnus and Pomona is one of the masterpieces of Mannerism. Here Francesco I de' Medici and Bianca Cappello died mysteriously in 1587, probably of malaria, though rumours spoke of poison. Upstairs, the Museum of Still Life displays paintings of fruit, flowers and animals from the Medici collections.
Tip: entry is free; the park, with its lemon house and centuries-old trees, is perfect for a walk.
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