Scandicci, Tuscany 50018

Ancient villa of great prestige dating back to 1427 not far from Florence belonged to one of the great Tuscan wine families from the end of the nineteenth century until the middle of the last century and where the famous Mona Lisa, known as ''La Gioconda'', lived. The property is surrounded by 27 hectares of land with swimming pool, tennis court and rose garden. Location The house is located in the municipality of Scandicci, about 9 km west of Florence and thanks to its proximity to the city and the wealth of green areas it is one of the places with the highest density of important villas in the Florentine hinterland. Easily accessible by car and close to Florence airport, which accepts both scheduled flights and private jets. Background This beautiful villa is steeped in history. It seems that Baldo d'Aguglione, a Florentine jurist and politician, a contemporary of Dante, whom the Supreme Poet mentions twice in the Divine Comedy as the "villan d'Aguglion", seems to have come from here. It was, in fact, d'Aguglione who issued the sentence, on September 2, 1311, which excluded Dante from amnesty, preventing him from returning to his homeland from exile. From 1498 to 1517 it was owned by the powerful Del Giocondo family to which belonged the famous Mona Lisa, wife of Francesco del Giocondo, portrayed by Leonardo Da Vinci around 1505 and known as "La Gioconda". The current appearance of the villa and garden is due to the Marquise Nathalie Antinori who renovated it at the beginning of the twentieth century, helped by her brother Egisto Paolo Fabbri, architect, artist, but above all a great collector of Cézanne, of whom he came to own 32 paintings of the highest quality. The beautiful façade of the villa appears on the label of one of the most famous Tuscan wines that has made the history of Chianti Classico in the world Description This spectacular sixteenth-century real estate complex is spread over an area of about 27 hectares, and includes the main villa elevated on three floors above ground and one partially underground, as well as various other outbuildings including the caretaker's house, the lemon house, the cellars, the orciaia and the garage for a total of about 4000 square meters. The main body of the house, of about 2800 square meters, consists on the ground floor of 5 living rooms plus a living-dining room, large kitchen, a corridor-hallway, a utility room, technical room and double entrance large main entrance and a service entrance. On the first floor there is the sleeping area consisting of 5 bedrooms with their respective bathrooms and wardrobe rooms, a large library room, a panoramic veranda in wrought iron and glass and a small balcony on the main front. On the second floor there are 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a study and a fitness room as well as the terrace from which you can see Florence and which is called "Dell'orologio". On the partially basement floor there is a room for kitchen use, dining room, two relaxation rooms, the splendid living room and the "Medici" gallery which opens directly onto the garden of the villa. On this level there are also two rooms for storage use, two bathrooms, two closets, a cellar and a technical room. There is also a mezzanine floor between the first and second floors intended for service personnel and consisting of three bedrooms, two bathrooms, pantry rooms, kitchen, dining room, laundries, ironing rooms and storage rooms. The floors are connected not only by beautiful internal stairs, but also by a convenient elevator system. This exceptional luxury villa is enriched by the private chapel with a polygonal plan, typical of the prestigious residences of the time and a clear example of seventeenth-century devotional architecture. Among the annexed buildings, there are three structures used as a lemon house of 200 square meters, greenhouse, shed and technical rooms, the single-family residence of the caretaker of 80 square meters, on 1 level and divided into 4 rooms and various