Medici Villas and Gardens in Tuscany

6 June 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Architecture, Museums, Exhibitions, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  11 minutes

Villa Medici di Castello in Florence © Sailko/cc-by-2.5

Villa Medici di Castello in Florence © Sailko/cc-by-2.5

The Medici villas are a series of rural building complexes in Tuscany which were owned by members of the Medici family between the 15th century and the 17th century. The villas served several functions: they were the country palaces of the Medici, scattered over the territory that they ruled, demonstrating their power and wealth. They were also recreational resorts for the leisure and pleasure of their owners; and, more prosaically, they were the centre of agricultural activities on the surrounding estates. In 2013, the Medici villas were added to UNESCO’s World Heritage list.   read more…

Palazzo Madama in Rome

15 September 2022 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Palaces, Castles, Manors, Parks Reading Time:  6 minutes

© Fratello.Gracco/cc-by-sa-4.0

© Fratello.Gracco/cc-by-sa-4.0

Palazzo Madama in Rome is the seat of the Senate of the Italian Republic, the upper house of the Italian Parliament. After the extinction of the Medici in 1743, the palace was handed over to the House of Lorraine and, later, to Pope Benedict XIV, who made it the seat of the Papal Government. In 1849, Pius IX moved here the Ministries of Finances and of the Public Debt, as well as the Papal Post Offices. In 1871, after the conquest of Rome by the newly formed Kingdom of Italy, the palazzo became the seat of the Senate of the Kingdom of Italy.   read more…

The Uffizi in Florence

15 May 2013 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  5 minutes

Uffizi © Riccardo Speziari/cc-by-sa-3.0

Uffizi © Riccardo Speziari/cc-by-sa-3.0

The Uffizi Gallery is a museum in Florence, Italy. It is one of the oldest and most famous art museums of the Western world.   read more…

Florence, the Italian Athens

15 January 2011 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Architecture, European Union, European Capital of Culture, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  8 minutes

Michelangelo's David © Rico Heil

Michelangelo’s David © Rico Heil

Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with 370,000 inhabitants (1.5 in the metropolitan area).   read more…

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