"The Medici in Cafaggiolo: Rural Delights and Princely Hunts," 4 exceptional guided tours

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Discovering the Medici in Mugello: with the "The Medici in Cafaggiolo: Rural Delights and Princely Hunts" initiative, 4 exceptional guided tours

We discover the Medici Mugello between the Palazzo dei Vicari in Scarperia and the Cafaggiolo Castle

Save The Date. “The Medici in Cafaggiolo: Rural delights and princely hunts” is an exceptional and special initiative: four exclusive guided tours between the Palace of the Vicars of Scarperia, with the exhibition “The Medici: People of Mugello. Family Portraits from the Uffizi Galleries”, and the Cafaggiolo Castle, which will open exceptionally for this occasion, in the municipality of Barberino di Mugello.

The importance of the Medici in the Mugello lands

THE'exhibition event “The Medici: people of Mugello”, organized in collaboration with the Uffizi Galleries In the Palace of the Vicars of Scarperia, wants to evoke the long and significant Medici presence in the countryside and in the villages of Mugello which has its peaks in the villas of Trebbio and Cafaggiolo and in sacred buildings such as the Bosco ai Frati convent.

While the Trebbio represented a safe refuge for the family of John of the Black Bands and his young son Cosimo, the Cafaggiolo residence was particularly appreciated by Medici dukes and grand dukes and their illustrious guests, especially for the noble pleasure of hunting. For this reason, a collaboration was created for a historical-artistic itinerary which, starting from the exhibition of Palace of the Vicars, comes to the Villa of Cafaggiolo, a UNESCO heritage site and a prototype of villa living in the early Renaissance.

The visits will take place on two separate days at two different times

The visitors, accompanied by the Professor Romby, director of the Museum of Cutting Tools of Scarperia., will be able to participate in the guided tours, being able to opt for either Sunday 24 September at 11:00 am and, secondly, at 3:00 pm; or for Sunday, October 22nd with two shifts always at the same times as above.

Places are limited, so reservations are required By calling 055-8468165, or by WhatsApp at 353-4364738. The cost per person is €15.

The initiative is organized by Pro Loco Scarperia and the Municipality of Scarperia and San Piero, in collaboration with Cafaggiolo Castle, the Municipality of Barberino di Mugello, and the Union of Municipalities of Mugello.

For further information: Mugello: a green, ancient, and authentic soul near Florence

The close bond between the Medici and Mugello

Let's start by clearing the field of certain common misunderstandings, because if it is true that the Mugello certainly represented a turning point for the Medici family land of the heart, it does not seem equally true that the Medici were originally from these lands, as some historical versions would have it. Beyond that anecdotes and legends, or questionable seventeenth-century manuscripts such as: “Origin and lineage of the Medici family of Florence”, which tended suspiciously to to ennoble the humble origins of the family, there are more reliable testimonies that cast doubt on whether the Medici had settled in Mugello in ancient times.

The fact is that according to some documents the Medici family, already between 1260 and 1270, purchased properties and land between San Piero a Sieve and Cafaggiolo. In fact, Mugello was already a strategic location, connecting crossroads between the Florentine valley and the Bolognese valley where the Medici cultivated trade and obtained profits.

The Cafaggiolo Villa in Barberino di Mugello

There Villa of Cafaggiolo It is undoubtedly one of the most important legacies of the Medici in Mugello. It is one of the Michelozzo's great masterpieces who in 1443 was commissioned by Cosimo the Elder to transform theancient fourteenth-century castle into a residential building. The spacious halls and vast park served as venues for meetings, symposia, parties, balls, and receptions for princes and popes.

The Villa del Trebbio in San Piero a Sieve

Commissioned to Michelozzo by Cosimo I, it was built on the ruins of an ancient feudal tower. Made up of a massive quadrangular body equipped with protruding devices, the villa-castle is dominated by atall crenellated tower and surrounded by cypress trees. The Italian garden is beautiful.
Loved by Lorenzo the Magnificent, especially during hunting periods, was inhabited for a long time by the famous captain of fortune Giovanni dalle Bande Nere, from his wife Maria Salviati and by his son Cosimo, who would later become the first Grand Duke of Tuscany.

For further information: Medici Villas: A Guide to Navigating the Architectural Magnificence

TuscanyPeople's tips on where to stay and eat in Mugello

Accommodation facilities

The Castelluccio Country Resort (refined stay in an ancient medieval castle); Villa Campestri Olive Oil Resort – Luxury Resort in Tuscany (a sumptuous Renaissance villa surrounded by a park of olive trees and cypresses); Monsignor della Casa Country Resort & Spa (where none other than Giovanni della Casa, author of the famous Galateo, was born); Medici Villa Lo Sprocco (sober and elegant structure immersed in a park); Poggio dei Medici Tuscany (elegant hotel with golf course).

Restaurants

Il Palagio Farm (typical cuisine, homemade pasta, grilled meat, more than 150 selected labels); The Ancient Eastern Gate (typical local cuisine, lots of substance, lots of wisdom, and few frills); The Cornocchio Shop (old-fashioned cuisine with sublime potato tortelli); The Dovecote (Family-run farm, with excellent raw materials transformed into tasty dishes); Hidden Restaurant (at Villa La Commenda Concordia, traditional Tuscan recipes reinterpreted in an innovative way).

For further information: Trattoria la Bottega del Cornocchio: simplicity and tradition at the service of taste.

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Cover photo Emma Simpson on Unsplash

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