What you need to know about a stay in a Medici estate in the Tuscan countryside in 2022
You can credit the Medici with many things – fostering the spread of humanism, serving as great benefactors of art, reinventing the Florentine cityscape – but also less advertised initiatives, such as pioneering the taste for the good life in the countryside. The Medici were instrumental in making it fashionable to escape the hassles of city life to enjoy the pastoral pleasures of the countryside, and to do so on a large scale by building many large estates all over Tuscany, the majority of which are them built in the 15th and 16th centuries. Fourteen of these properties (12 villas and two gardens) are now listed as World Heritage by Unesco; many are open to the public for tours or for events. But if you want to spend a holiday in a Medici estate, head to the Tenuta di Artimino in Artimino, less than an hour’s drive from Florence.
Here you’ll find Villa La Ferdinanda, a sprawling residence commissioned by Grand Duke Ferdinand I of Medici in 1596, with an adjoining structure dating from the 17th century which is now the Hotel Paggeria Medicea. Annabella Pascale, CEO of Tenuta Artimino, said Ferdinando originally built the villa “because he loved hunting and the area around Artimino was the perfect place”. La Ferdinanda was built with remarkable speed for the time, she explains, in just four years, a project led by Bernando Buontalenti, a renowned scenographer and architect (with an appropriate surname, meaning good talents) favored by the Medici. “You can see Florence from the third floor,” says Pascale. “It’s only 20 kilometers away, but back then, getting around with the whole court was a real journey.”
Pascale says that among the 14 Medici villas and gardens listed by Unesco, only four belong to individuals. His grandfather, Giuseppe Olmo, Olympic cycling gold medalist and later successful entrepreneur who started businesses to produce bicycles and other products, bought La Ferdinanda in the 1980s. “He got it. importance of art, culture and Italian heritage, and fell in love with the place and decided to renew it.“
While Villa La Ferdinanda is open for events, weddings, and tours with private guides (by reservation), you can stay on the property of the four-star Paggeria Medicea, overlooking the Tuscan countryside. It has 37 spacious rooms in a modern style with antique touches, terracotta floors and exposed beams. A swimming pool and a tennis court are nearby. (Hotel and restaurant reservations are mainly from April to October, while events at La Ferdinanda can be scheduled all year round.) Tenuta di Artimino offers additional accommodation options with apartments in the village d’Artimino and the Fagianaie farm apartments located between the villa and the village.
When you visit the estate, you can further immerse yourself in Medici experiences with a specialist cooking class and wine tastings. If you book the Medici cooking class, you will learn how to cook duck with orange, considered one of their favorite dishes, which was later brought to France by Catherine de Medici, who eventually became the queen of the country. . You can also taste it at Artimino’s restaurant, Biagio Pignatta. (Another cooking tutorial focuses on making local pasta and cookies, like cantucci.)
The Medici have long been associated with Tuscan red wine, Carmignano, which continues to be produced by the Artimino estate. In 1716, the Duke of Ghent Cosimo III instituted rules for its production (along with wine from several other territories), a proclamation that the Consorzio Vini Carmignano, the modern association of Carmignano producers, described as having created the first zones wine-growing regulated, now known or DOC. In addition to its long history, Carmignano is unique in the way it foreshadowed the development centuries later of the Super Tuscans who revolutionized the world of wine in the 1970s. During the Medici era, Carmignano was created no only with Sangiovese, but also with non-native grape varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Catherine de Médicis would also have played a role there by introducing in the region the allochthonous vines of her adopted homeland. You can get to know this wine better thanks to a vertical tasting – Artimino produces the very famous DOCG Camignanos – hosted by the estate (by appointment) and held in the cellars of La Ferdinanda.
In addition to enjoying the estate’s swimming pool and tennis courts in good weather, there are other activities to consider, such as a jeep tour of the vineyards, picnics and a wine course. Artimino can also organize what they describe as a “Leonardo bike tour”. Da Vinci is believed to have been a guest at La Ferdinanda and the outing will take you from the birthplace of the great artist in Vinci to other relevant locations in the Tuscan countryside. Also, don’t forget that Artimino is near Prato, a town teeming with artistic and architectural treasures, as well as an abundance of exceptional bakeries to visit and delicious local sweets to try.