The Villa di Castello, near the hills bordering Florence, Tuscany, central Italy, was the country residence of Cosimo I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany (1519-1574). The gardens, filled with fountains, statuary, and a grotto, became famous throughout Europe. The villa also housed some of the great art treasures of Florence, including Sandro Botticelli's Renaissance masterpieces The Birth of Venus and Primavera. The gardens of the Villa had a profound influence upon the design of the Italian Renaissance garden and the later French formal garden.
Lunette of Villa di Castello as it appeared in 1599, painted by Giusto Utens
The villa and garden of Villa di Castello in July 2013
Cosimo I de Medici, 19 years of age, at the time he was building the gardens of Villa di Castello (Jacopo Pontormo, c. 1538)
The villa and gardens seen from the upper garden. The garden plan was based on harmony and order, the principles upon which Cosimo planned to rule Florence.
Cosimo I de' Medici was the second duke of Florence from 1537 until 1569, when he became the first grand duke of Tuscany, a title he held until his death.
Portrait of Cosimo I de' Medici, c. 1545
Cosimo I de' Medici at about 19 years of age (by Pontormo, c. 1538)
Cosimo I's coronation as Grand Duke of Tuscany, which happened in 1570, Rome.
Official portrait of Cosimo I de' Medici as Grand Duke of Tuscany by Giovanni Battista Naldini
