Villa Salviatino, Maiano
Encyclopedia
The Villa Salviatino, Maiano, in the frazione
of Maiano
on the steep slope south of Fiesole
, is a Tuscan villa overlooking Florence
.
A modest farmhouse in the 14th century, set among informally terraced slopes planted with vines
and olive
s, the house in its vigna was purchased in 1427 by the Bardi family
, bankers of Florence, who rebuilt it in such palatial fashion that when it was subsequently sold to Nicola Tegliacci in 1447, the new owner named it Palagio (palazzo) dei Tegliacci. In the 16th century it passed to Alamanno Salviati, who had it sumptuously frescoed and furnished; thus it gained its name as the Villa Il Salviatino, to distinguish it from the grander Villa Salviati "le Selve", near Lastra, to the west. The villa was celebrated by Francesco Redi
, in his Bacco in Toscana (1685): "viva il nome Del buon Salviati, ed il suo bel Maiano.
In 1871 the villa was purchased by Pietro Pagliano, who added a medievalizing crenellated tower, but a new, more sympathetic owner, the American Phelps Thomas, took ownership in 1882 and began a programme of free restoration and aggrandisement, to designs of the antiquarian architect Corinto Corinti (1843–1930). A large central staircase was added and grand cinquecento portals. He reduced the tower, designed a new vaulted porte-cochere for carriages, overhung by a garden, which still exist, and remodelled the park by adding an Italian terraced garden and conservatories, with a pergola
that Penelope Hobhouse
found to resemble the wooden frames shown in woodcuts for Francesco Colonna's Hypnerotomachia Poliphili
. Augusto Bruschi was entrusted with decorative painting, covering walls with medieval and neo-cinquecento patterns. After a sale of its contents in 1891 the villa passed into the hands of the Carrega di Lucedio family and then, in 1911, to the art critic, journalist and founder of the art magazine Il Dedalo, Ugo Ojetti and his wife Fernanda, who undertook further structural remodeling, removing many of the 19th century accretions, and installing an extensive library and many paintings and sculptures. From 1973 the Villa Il Salviatino housed Stanford University
's overseas program Stanford in Italy' with classrooms, offices, library, dining facilities, and students' rooms.
In the first decade of the 21st century the villa was restored and refuirbished as a boutique hotel.
Frazione
A frazione , in Italy, is the name given in administrative law to a type of territorial subdivision of a comune; for other administrative divisions, see municipio, circoscrizione, quartiere...
of Maiano
Maiano
Maiano is small hilltop locality, now part of Fiesole, in Tuscany.The Chiesa di San Martino was founded there in the eleventh century and subsequently restored in the fifteenth, nineteenth, and twentieth centuries. A palagio existed at Maiano in the Middle Ages, but in 1467 it was destroyed in a...
on the steep slope south of Fiesole
Fiesole
Fiesole is a town and comune of the province of Florence in the Italian region of Tuscany, on a famously scenic height above Florence, 8 km NE of that city...
, is a Tuscan villa overlooking Florence
Florence
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 approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
.
A modest farmhouse in the 14th century, set among informally terraced slopes planted with vines
Viticulture
Viticulture is the science, production and study of grapes which deals with the series of events that occur in the vineyard. When the grapes are used for winemaking, it is also known as viniculture...
and olive
Olive
The olive , Olea europaea), is a species of a small tree in the family Oleaceae, native to the coastal areas of the eastern Mediterranean Basin as well as northern Iran at the south end of the Caspian Sea.Its fruit, also called the olive, is of major agricultural importance in the...
s, the house in its vigna was purchased in 1427 by the Bardi family
Bardi family
The Bardi family was an influential Florentine family that started the powerful banking company, the Compagnia dei Bardi.Along with the Peruzzi family, the Bardis lent Edward III of England 400,000 Gold Florins, which he never repaid....
, bankers of Florence, who rebuilt it in such palatial fashion that when it was subsequently sold to Nicola Tegliacci in 1447, the new owner named it Palagio (palazzo) dei Tegliacci. In the 16th century it passed to Alamanno Salviati, who had it sumptuously frescoed and furnished; thus it gained its name as the Villa Il Salviatino, to distinguish it from the grander Villa Salviati "le Selve", near Lastra, to the west. The villa was celebrated by Francesco Redi
Francesco Redi
Francesco Redi was an Italian physician, naturalist, and poet.-Biography:The son of Gregorio Redi and Cecilia de Ghinci was born in Arezzo on February 18, 1626. After schooling with the Jesuits, he attended the University of Pisa...
, in his Bacco in Toscana (1685): "viva il nome Del buon Salviati, ed il suo bel Maiano.
In 1871 the villa was purchased by Pietro Pagliano, who added a medievalizing crenellated tower, but a new, more sympathetic owner, the American Phelps Thomas, took ownership in 1882 and began a programme of free restoration and aggrandisement, to designs of the antiquarian architect Corinto Corinti (1843–1930). A large central staircase was added and grand cinquecento portals. He reduced the tower, designed a new vaulted porte-cochere for carriages, overhung by a garden, which still exist, and remodelled the park by adding an Italian terraced garden and conservatories, with a pergola
Pergola
A pergola, arbor or arbour is a garden feature forming a shaded walkway, passageway or sitting area of vertical posts or pillars that usually support cross-beams and a sturdy open lattice, often upon which woody vines are trained...
that Penelope Hobhouse
Penelope Hobhouse
Penelope Hobhouse is a garden writer, designer, lecturer and television presenter.-Background:...
found to resemble the wooden frames shown in woodcuts for Francesco Colonna's Hypnerotomachia Poliphili
Hypnerotomachia Poliphili
Hypnerotomachia Poliphili , called in English Poliphilo's Strife of Love in a Dream, is a romance said to be by Francesco Colonna and a famous example of early printing...
. Augusto Bruschi was entrusted with decorative painting, covering walls with medieval and neo-cinquecento patterns. After a sale of its contents in 1891 the villa passed into the hands of the Carrega di Lucedio family and then, in 1911, to the art critic, journalist and founder of the art magazine Il Dedalo, Ugo Ojetti and his wife Fernanda, who undertook further structural remodeling, removing many of the 19th century accretions, and installing an extensive library and many paintings and sculptures. From 1973 the Villa Il Salviatino housed Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
's overseas program Stanford in Italy' with classrooms, offices, library, dining facilities, and students' rooms.
In the first decade of the 21st century the villa was restored and refuirbished as a boutique hotel.