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I-Florence by Dotflorence staff is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribuzione-Non opere derivate 2.5 Italia License.
Based on a work at www.i-florence.com
Posts Tagged ‘medici’
The Medici villa of Poggio a Caiano
The following article is a guest post written by arrttrav.com
The Medici villa of Poggio a Caiano was commissioned by Lorenzo dei Medici (”The Magnificent”) from the architect Giuliano Sangallo. Its construction began in 1485 and the building was finished in the 1520’s or so. It was a Medici favourite on account of the “good air” that is to be had there.Both the interior and exterior of the building can be visited.
As you approach the villa from the road, you get a great view through the gate. The entrance booth is off to the left, but make sure you return to the central path to observe the shape of the buliding, characterized by the double stairway ( added later) and the “temple front” up top with a maiolica frieze. The structure of the building is Renaissance, and is one of the first applications of Classical/ Vitruvian architectural theory to a country villa. » Read more…
Pienza & Montepulciano ( by car)
Today your driver will pick you up directly at your accommodation and bring you through the lovely “Crete Senesi” on your way to Montepulciano.Situated in one of the most breathtaking areas of Tuscany, this interesting wine town is built entirely on volcanic rock and stands about 600 meters above sea level. 
Like many towns in Tuscany, Montepulciano has Etruscan origins, but the first document mentioning its name comes from the year 715 and calls Montepulciano “Mons Politianus”, that is “Mount of the Nobles”. It seems probable that the town was therefore founded by a group of nobles perhaps from Chiusi who came here to escape invasions from Barbarians. Montepulciano is surrounded by walls and fortifications designed by Antonio da Sangallo in 1500 by orders of Cosimo I.Today Montepulciano is known for its very impressive Renaissance buildings, its beautiful churches and especially for its “Vino Nobile” (noble wine), one of the most distinguished of Italian wines in the world. The town developed on a steep hill between Porta al Prato and Piazza Grande and is crisscrossed by many short and narrow streets and alleys. There is plenty of sightseeing here and the cathedral is well worth a visit.The cathedral or “Duomo” was built between 1592 and 1630 and designed by Ippolito Scalza on the site of the older “Pieve di Santa Maria” . » Read more…