History and Architecture of Villa Torselli near San
Casciano
The Villa Poggio Torselli is already mentioned in the
land registry of 1427 under its current name and was then owned by the
Machiavelli family. In later centuries, the property passed to the
Angiolini, the Corsini, the Macalli and the Capponi. In the 18 C, it
belonged to the Orlandini del Beccuto and finally to the Antinori.
It was the Antinori family who, in 1702, commissioned the architect
Lorenzo Merlini to transform the old building that, according to Guido
Carocci, had been built by the family of Da Casavecchia, into today's
structure.
During the course of its history, Villa Poggio Torselli was home to Pope
Pius VII when he was called by Napoleon in France for his coronation.
The villa belonged to Braccagni Maggiali family until 1999 when it was
sold to the president of the Palermo football club, Maurizio Zamparini.
The Villa Poggio Torselli consists of a large rectangular structure with
two wings which house service areas. The inner courtyard is no longer
present, having been replaced by a salon which occupies the central part
of the building. An attractive avenue of cypress trees leads to its
entrance, forming a perspective that then spreads to all the elegant
façade in a large semicircular forecourt.
Villa Poggio Torselli is one of Tuscany´s finest examples of a Renaissance
villa and italianate garden.
The garden of Villa Torselli
The famous garden of Villa Poggio Torselli probably dates
from the late 17 C, and consists of an italianate garden divided into
two terraces to the south and an English park area in to the north. In
the upper terrace on the south side, the original arrangement with
flower beds has been preserved along with a very ingenious irrigation
system, one of the best preserved of Tuscany.
In the mid-19 C, following the fashion of the English garden, dominant
at the time, the garden was transformed according to that style. It was
restored for the first time in 1925 with the replacement of hedges, and
was again restored by the present owner who has planted vegetation
typical of gardens of the end of the 17 C. Dwarf fruit trees, old roses
and aromatic herbs are the backdrop to the architecture of the building
and the noble Baroque chapel.
The collection of potted citrus, preserved in cold weather in a
beautiful conservatory, is particularly renowned.
More about the
garden of Villa Poggio Torselli.
More about the
gardens of the Tuscan
villas.
The salotto of Villa Poggio Torcelli |
The ballroom of Villa Poggio Torcelli |
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