Comune: | Quarrata |
Via: | Villa La Magia, 5 |
This villa, formerly the fortified residence of the Panciatichi family, was bought by the grand-duke Francesco in 1581, who commissioned Buontalenti to carry out rebuilding work. The property later passed into the hands of the Attavanti family, then to the Ricasoli and finally to the Amati-Cellesi counts, the current owners. The villa's late-Renaissance features - a solid square building from which two corner towers protrude - are perfectly preserved. The façades, pierced by a regular series of windows with stone surrounds, recall the linear simplicity found on other designs by Buontalenti. The entrance to the park, which is full of oaks, Himalayan cedars, holm-oaks, plane trees, ginkgo biloba and black walnut trees, is through a gate with a masonrywork exedra adorned with pedimented columns. On the southern side of the villa is a Baroque-style garden, furnished with 17th-century works. Another attractive feature is the lake, added at a later stage both for ornamentation and for water storage purposes.