Medici Villas and Gardens UNESCO Heritage Site

Enter the splendor of the Renaissance with this UNESCO World Heritage Site dedicated to the villas and gardens of the famous aristocratic Medici family. While there are Medici monuments in the city of Florence, this dedication focuses on their baronial residences and gardens scattered in the Tuscan countryside. There are fourteen of them, mostly in the province of Firenze.

What makes them so special? These aristocratic villas influenced the style of the time and of modern Europe - the Medici were great patrons of the arts from the 15th through 17th centuries. These villas and gardens were in harmony with nature -they connected architecture, the natural landcape and cultivated gardens into a symmetry and luxurious beauty. They became the model for future wealthy Florentines, Italians and Europeans, and even for more middle class dwellings.

The villas and the tended gardens focused on leisure, art and intellect - in short, the embodiment of Renaissance ideals, and what we now call "la dolce vita".

Visit the UNESCO World Heritage Site for a listing and map of the Medici Villas and Gardens around Tuscany.