[…] dove ameni colli, e verdi Prati Cingon di ricco albergo inclite mura, Ove a fuggir d’estivi rai l’arsura, Soggiornate felici, Eroi Salviati. E dove in grembo a la gran Dea de fiori Sorger non lungi al pian ricco si vede, Del’Etrusco Signor l’augusta Sede, Le memorie degl’Avi, e i prischi honori. Poem about Villa Salviati, anonymous, c. 1660.
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SUMMARY
Villa Salviati has a long and rich history which can be traced back to the Middle Ages. Perched in the Florentine hills, it was originally part of fortifications along the Mugnone river, before being transformed into a palace with extensive agricultural lands attached. The current layout dates back to the beginning of the sixteenth century, when the villa was home to the wealthy and influential Salviati family. Successive generations of Salviati were residents at the villa between 1490 and 1794. Over the centuries, it housed great art and great people, from the infamous Medici to Pope Leo X and Garibaldi. It was plundered and burned during the Medici banishment and carefully renovated, generation after generation, to keep up with the fashions of house and garden. After the Salviati era, the villa experienced a notable era as a political hub for supporters of the Risorgimento. However, from the mid-nineteenth century onwards, it changed hands many times. Apart from a brief spell during WWII when the building gave shelter to local Florentines and a great deal of valuable artwork, Villa Salviati was neglected and largely inaccessible to the public. In 2000, the Italian state purchased the villa to house the Historical Archives of the European Union (HAEU). Today the immaculately restored building and gardens are also home to the European University Institute’s Law and History Departments.
Image 1. View on Villa Salviati by Giuseppe Zocchi, printed in Vedute delle ville, e d’altri luoghi della Toscana (1744), printed with the courtesy of Niccolò Tognarini 3
Villa Salviati, situated in the hills of Florence, was originally called Villa del Ponte alla Badia due to its location near the Badia bridge. In the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries the area around Fiesole saw great building activity which created the distinctive silhouette of villas, towers and churches characteristic of the Florentine countryside. Villa Salviati claims its rightful place amongst the many magnificent villas and its geographical location meets all the requirements regarding the perfect setting of a suburban residence: hilly, rich with water, sunny, suitable for agricultural activities, near the city centre and with panoramic views. The history of the villa dates back to the Middle Ages and is closely tied to the history of its most famous and longest owners: the Salviati family.
THE OWNERS
Image 2. Drawing of Villa Salviati (seventeenth century), printed with the courtesy of the Archivio Salviati 4
The Salviati family appeared on the political scene in Florence at the end of the thirteenth century, rapidly accumulating social and political esteem. They acquired fame as political and military commanders and, at the same time, members of the family distinguished themselves as successful merchants. Their mercantile activities were mainly concentrated on the production and trade of woollen cloth and the establishment and management of banks all over Europe. Moreover, starting from the fifteenth century, they began to marry into important lineages of the Florentine aristocracy, fixing connections with powerful families such as the Medici. During the early sixteenth century, the Salviati family also gained authority in the papal state, leading to the establishment of the Roman branch of the family, whose members occupied high ecclesiastical offices such as that of cardinal. Thanks to all the successes of the various descendants of the Salviati clan, the financial capital of the family steadily increased over the centuries. This allowed them to construct a vast patrimony consisting of numerous urban and suburban real estate properties that functioned as proof of their wealth and social position. One of those possessions was Villa Salviati, owned by the Roman Salviati from 1490 until 1704, when male heirs of this branch of the family became extinct and the ownership was passed on to the Florentine line. Starting from 1794, when the last male descendant of the Florentine branch passed away, Villa Salviati changed hands several times. The property was initially inherited by Anna Maria Salviati, married to Marco Antonio Borghese Aldobrandini, and the villa was briefly renamed Villa Borghese. In 1844 three Borghese brothers decided to sell the 5
villa, together with its furniture and paintings, to the Englishman Arthur Vansittart for 300.000 lire. In 1852 Vansittart, in turn, sold the property to Giovanni Matteo De Candia, one of the most celebrated Italian tenors of his era, who lived there together with his wife, the famous soprano Giulia Grisi. After her death, Giovanni could no longer enjoy his life in Villa Salviati and his economic situation deteriorated, forcing him to give up the property. The Swedish banker Gustave Hagermann took possession of the estate in 1873. He only resided there for a short period of time, however, and the villa was bequeathed to his sisters Anne and Mathilde. In 1901 the daughter of Mathilde sold the property to the wealthy businessman Luigi Giulio Turri and his wife Mary Hamlin Everett, daughter of the American industrialist and multimillionaire Edward H. Everett. The Turri family possessed Villa Salviati for the entire twentieth century until 2000, when the Italian State purchased the villa to house the Historical Archives of the European Union (HAEU), which were moved there in 2012 after important restoration works. Following the completion of additional restoration works in August 2016, Villa Salviati now houses the Department of History and Civilization (HEC) and the Department of Law (LAW) of the European University Institute (EUI).
Image 3. The building complex of Villa Salviati 6
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Villa No records exist about the original construction of Villa Salviati, but a fortified structure, part of a defensive system along the Mugnone river, was already in place during the Middle Ages. Probably sometime between 1363 and 1373, the estate was sold by the Carucci family to the Del Palagio family for 4.400 fiorini d’oro (gold florins). At this point, it was an extended property with various farms, indicating that the land had been transformed from a strategic stronghold into an agricultural centre where wine, olives, fruits and vegetables were cultivated. Between 1433 and 1442 the villa was in the possession of the Montegonzi family. They transformed it into a palazzo-fortezza (fortified palace), where the towers recalled the initial defensive function of the building, but the structure of the house and the layout of the rooms were in line with the appearance of urban palaces. On 9 June 1445, Alamanno Salviati purchased the villa (together with the surrounding farms, workers’ houses, cultivated lands, vineyards, olive yards, orchards and forests) from Arcangelo di Bartolomeo da Montegonzi for 1.800 fiorini d’oro. In the purchase contract the building is described as “unum palatium sive fortilitium cum salis, cameris et volta et aliis suis habituris”. Alamanno immediately began numerous works to restore and embellish the villa. He transformed it into an oasis of beauty and tranquillity and a centre of culture and art, attracting illustrious artists and displaying valuable works of art. The refurbishments were carried out by the same workers as those conducting the renovations in Alamanno’s urban palace in via del Palagio in Florence, and it has been suggested that even the famous architect Michelozzo di 8
THE PROPERTY
Image 4. Purchase contract (1445), printed with the courtesy of the Archivio Salviati
Bartolomeo Michelozzi was involved. Michelozzo, who is especially known for designing Palazzo Medici Riccardi in Florence, also worked on several suburban residences of the Medici family, such as those in Cafaggiolo and Careggi, with which Villa Salviati shares many characteristics. Alamanno’s nephew, Jacopo di Giovanni, progenitor of the Roman branch of the family, eventually acquired the villa in 1490. He enlarged the building and enhanced its organisation and magnificence. In fact, the current layout dates back to the interventions Jacopo made between 1493 and the 1520s.
Image 5. Villa Salviati, the central living area. The building is characterised by a courtyard and two square towers, one at the front side and one incorporated into the adjacent building 9
Image 6. Villa Salviati, the Manica Lunga, which originally housed the servants’ quarters, stables and kitchen
Jacopo commissioned the adornment of the villa with sculptural and pictorial decorations that are still visible today, including the tondi by Giovan Francesco Rustici on the frieze in the courtyard. In 1516, in honour of the wedding of his daughter Maria with Lodovico de’ Medici, better known as Giovanni dalle Bande Nere, Jacopo – who was himself married to Lucrezia de’ Medici – celebrated the union of the two families in the iconographic ornamentations of the villa.
Image 7. Chimney with Medici-Salviati coat of arms 10
However, the Medici connections did not always favour the villa. In 1529, during the period of the last Florentine Republic and the banishment of the Medici, republican supporters set fire to the villa, greatly damaging the property. As a result, the villa was completely restored and renovated between 1568 and 1583. The pictorial decorations were entrusted to various artists from the workshop of Alessandro Allori, a famous Florentine painter, and Giovanni Stradano, a Flemish painter working for the Medici court. Image 8. Sala del Torrino, vault with the coat of arms that combines the escutcheons of both the Medici and Salviati family
In the seventeenth century several repairs and architectural interventions were made. For example, between 1620 and 1650, Duke Jacopo Salviati ordered the execution of many decorative embellishments, but he was principally responsible for the growth of the collection of paintings displayed at the villa. The Duke commissioned numerous works from Francesco Furini, who even resided in a cottage on the property of Villa Salviati. The art collection expanded over the course of the century and contained many masterpieces by renowned artists such as Bronzino, Lippi, Ghirlandaio and Botticelli. From the eighteenth century onwards, the building was continuously refurbished, respecting its original style. Image 10. Sala degli Anelli, lower frieze with a common device used by the Medici family: the diamond ring and motto semper
Image 9. Sala degli Anelli, upper frieze with Medici-Salviati coat of arms
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Image 11. Garden of Villa Salviati with a view on the city centre of Florence
Gardens During the Renaissance, a garden was considered an integral part of a villa, included in its overall design and not as a separate appendix. Therefore, careful attention was devoted to the construction of the gardens of Villa Salviati. The first important works were executed between 1570 and 1579, when Alamanno Salviati and his son Jacopo arranged the green zones and terraces. At this time, the outdoor space was divided in two zones, separated by a columned wall, of which we can still see the pedestals today: on one side, the lawns were used to host ceremonies, banquets and tournaments; on the other, the agricultural lands were destined for the commercial cultivation of, amongst other things, vineyards, olives, grain and barley. This separation reflected the early modern belief that a suburban villa should serve for both 12
Image 12. Drawing of Jupiter statue, printed with the courtesy of the Archivio Salviati
otium (leisure) and negotium (business). Some fermenting vats and wine presses from the wine cellars have been preserved and can be seen in the cafeteria at the villa today.
Image 13. Drawing of Villa Salviati and its gardens on the title page of Relazione e stima della tenuta de Ponte alla Badia (1840), printed with the courtesy of the Archivio Salviati
The gardens were embellished after 1704, when the villa passed from the Roman to the Florentine branch of the Salviati family. A formal Italian garden was established, organised in geometrical shapes with various elements of vegetation, such as citrus trees, flowerbeds and dwarf fruit trees, completed with a central fountain and statues. With these changes the gardens surrounding the villa lost their agricultural function, and became a place dedicated exclusively to leisure. The henhouse made way for the grotto, and a new greenhouse, richly 13
Image 14. Limonaia (above) and grotto with garden (below)
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decorated with stucco and rocks, was erected in the old stables. A coffeehouse and limonaia (lemon house) were also constructed in the eighteenth century. Whilst the coffeehouse was later removed, the limonaia now houses the HAEU.
Image 15. Pond of Villa Salviati
The next transformation of the gardens took place between 1852 and 1873, when the villa was owned by Giovanni Matteo De Candia. He added some passageways, stairs and terraces. It was probably during this period that the farm lands beyond the villa were transformed into an English-style park, which had become fashionable in Florence by the nineteenth century, with open spaces, scattered trees, flowerbeds, ponds, curved paths and romantic elements. The rose garden was added to the villa by the Turri family after 1901. After the death of Mary Everett Turri in 1961, however, the gardens were neglected, greatly altering their appearance. Only starting from 2000, when the property was acquired by the Italian State, were numerous refurbishments executed to restore the gardens and park to their former glory.
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Image 16. Courtyard of Villa Salviati 16
ARTISTIC HIGHLIGHTS
Courtyard: Tondi and Sgraffito A first important decorative highlight that underlines the artistic value of Villa Salviati is the frieze adorned in sgraffito design and enriched with tondi or medallions, circular-shaped terracotta sculptures, in the courtyard. When embellishing the courtyard, Jacopo di Giovanni Salviati found stylistic inspiration in the courtyard of Palazzo Medici Riccardi in Florence. By appropriating the Medici design, Jacopo wished to connect himself very strongly to the family of his wife Lucrezia. The original tondi were created by Giovan Francesco Rustici between 1522 and 1526. However, when the villa was sacked in 1529, a couple of tondi were destroyed and replaced by new items at the end of the sixteenth century. Today, thirteen are preserved in the courtyard and three are placed as decorations above the entrance doors. The themes depicted on the tondi are inspired by antiquity and are of mythological nature. The tondi are enclosed by a sgraffito frieze that is permeated with strong references to the Medici family.
Image 17. Courtyard, tondo with Apollo Image 18. Courtyard, tondo with Cupid and Marsyas making his arrow 17
Image 19. Courtyard, frieze with diamond ring and ostrich feathers. This recurrent image is the most commonly used device in the fifteenth-century works commissioned by the Medici. The ring symbolised eternity, loyalty and union, and the diamond had a godly connotation (the Renaissance interpretation was that the Italian word diamante derived from deo amante, that is “through the love of God”). The three feathers may allude to the theological virtues faith, hope and charity, or to the Holy Trinity
Image 20. Courtyard, frieze with ring clutched by a falcon. This is another device often employed by the Medici family. The falcon was considered an allegory of time and prudence. This time, the scroll is inscribed with a motto customarily attributed to the Salviati family: iames aultre (jamais autre), meaning “never (will I have) another (master or mistress)”, and thus alludes to the unfailing loyalty to one person. This idea is in keeping with the character of the falcon who obeys only his master 18
Chapel The chapel of Villa Salviati, also constructed under the ownership of Jacopo di Giovanni around 1515, is a beautiful early example of the phenomenon of private family chapels. Jacopo had most likely ordered the construction of this chapel to celebrate the upcoming wedding of his daughter Maria with Giovanni dalle Bande Nere. The stylistic decorations show similarities with two prestigious chapels in Florence: the Cappella dei Priori in Palazzo Vecchio and the Cappella Image 21. Chapel, altar with marble altarpiece depicting the Annunciation and the tondo with the Virgin Mary and child in the lunette, both sculptures are attributed to Giovan Francesco Rustici
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del Papa in Santa Maria Novella. Thus, again, Jacopo followed the artistic example set by the Medici. Furthermore, the chapel is decorated with heraldic devices that bear testimony to the union of the Medici and Salviati family. Already before entering the chapel, the Medici-Salviati alliance is visualised in the combined escutcheon above the entrance door. Once inside, the ceiling and walls are decorated with several emblems that refer to both families. The Medici are represented through their coat of arms, the diamond ring with ostrich feathers and the ring clutched by a falcon. These devices are depicted alongside the coat of arms of the Salviati family. Moreover, the saints represented in the tondi on the ceiling are strongly connected to the Medici-Salviati weddings.
Image 22. Chapel, entrance door topped by the Medici-Salviati coat of arms 20
Image 23. Chapel, detail of the wall with Medici devices. The pictorial decorations in the chapel are ascribed to artists from the workshop of Alessandro Allori
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Image 24. Chapel, detail of the ceiling with tondi. One theory is that the saints are linked to Jacopo Salviati and Lucrezia de’ Medici as the portrayed saints are those after whom their children are named. Another hypothesis is that these specific saints were chosen as they are the patron saints of the Medici family 22
Image 25. Grotto of Villa Salviati
Grotto Grottos, a common feature of classical gardens, became fashionable again during the Renaissance. Still, it was not until the mid-seventeenth century that the first grotto room at Villa Salviati was created. It is made up of stalactites and elaborate stonework of sponge rock that testify to the family’s affluence. The floor has red terracotta tiles adorned with white terracotta diamonds and strips of pebble mosaic. In the early eighteenth century a second grotto room, with similar flooring, was erected. It is decorated in a Baroque style with pink and green marbled pillars, yellow and white frescoes, bird murals and rock and shell decorations. 23
In the nineteenth century a third room was constructed, copying the style of stucco and painting from the second room. The mirrors are encircled with various minerals and the east and west walls are adorned with landscape paintings of Italy. The grotto is equipped with an entire water system running through the walls, ceilings and floors. The waterplay creates the idea of movement by casting shadows and adds to the beauty and intensity of the colours in the decorations. The Villa Salviati grotto stands out from its Renaissance counterparts as an example of great artistic and architectural value because of its considerable size and the later date of its construction.
Image 26. It has been suggested that the third grotto room was added in honour of Garibaldi’s visit to Villa Salviati in 1866, as one landscape painting might show Garibaldi’s soldiers in formation 24
HISTORICAL ANECDOTES
Famous Visitors Throughout the centuries Villa Salviati has hosted numerous notable visitors. One of the earliest important guests was Pope Leo X, son of Lorenzo de’ Medici, in 1515. He visited Florence for two months on his return from Bologna, where he had met with French King Francis I to work on a peace settlement which led to the signing of the Concordat of Bologna in 1516. During this time, he stayed with various friends and relatives, including his brother-in-law Jacopo di Giovanni Salviati and sister Lucrezia de’ Medici in Villa Salviati. The chamber where he stayed was renamed camera del papa in honour of the pope’s visit. During the second half of the nineteenth century, many musicians, painters, nobles and politicians were welcomed at Villa Salviati by Giovanni Matteo De Candia and his wife Giulia Grisi. Their home became a hub for supporters of the Risorgimento, the political movement of national ‘resurgence’ that resulted in Italian unification between 1861 and 1870. Amongst the visitors we can mention Massimo d’Azeglio and Virginia Oldoini, countess of Castiglione. However, the most noteworthy guest was Giuseppe Garibaldi in 1866, accompanied by his son and daughter. All the peasants and servants gathered to welcome him while cheering “Viva Garibaldi!”, waving the Italian flag and singing the Garibaldian hymn. Garibaldi shared with his hosts numerous stories about his battles and he recounted the tragic event of the death of his beloved wife Anita. After having spent some hours at Villa Salviati, Garibaldi thanked Giovanni and Giulia for their kind reception. He said goodbye to the peasants, who crowded around his carriage to shake his hand, and then drove away 25
to the accompaniment of enthusiastic applause and clamorous shouts.
The Murderous Duchess Veronica Cybo Villa Salviati was also the scene of a vendetta by the jealous Duchess Veronica Cybo, wife of Duke Jacopo Salviati. Veronica discovered that her husband was betraying her with a beautiful young mistress named Caterina Canacci. To avenge her honour, the duchess convinced Caterina’s stepson, Bartolomeo, to carry out a murderous scheme. On the night of 31 December 1638 (or 1637 according to some sources), Bartolomeo, together with four assassins, stabbed Caterina and her maid to death. While the limbs of both women were cut off and thrown into the Arno and into a well, the head of Caterina was handed over to Duchess Veronica. On New Year’s Day, she presented the head in a silver basin, hidden among the clean linen delivered to Villa Salviati on a weekly basis, to her husband. According to the legend, he was so horrified that he dropped the head, leaving it to roll down the stairs at Villa Salviati.
World War II and Post-War Period In August 1944, during the last phase of the second Wold War when Florence was occupied by German troops, Villa Salviati offered shelter to around 400 people from nearby communities, who slept on mattresses in the courtyard and in the garden. To control this large group of people, four German soldiers were stationed in the villa. Paintings, most likely from Florentine museums, were stored in the great hall to save them from destruction. The population at Villa Salviati was relieved at the end of August by English troops. Allied forces subsequently installed a military regiment at the 26
Image 27. Villa Salviati, c. 1850-1865, from collection Fratelli Alinari Museum CollectionsMalandrini Collection, Florence printed with the courtesy of the Alinari Archives
villa. After the end of the war, few were allowed to enter the premises, making Villa Salviati one of the most mysterious villas of the Florentine hills. It was not until the Italian State acquired the property that it was opened to the public.
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Since October 2012 Villa Salviati has been home to the HAEU, a unique resource for researchers at the EUI and far beyond. In August 2016, the EUI’s History and Law Departments were relocated to Villa Salviati, a move that continues the long international tradition of the villa.
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VILLA SALVIATI TODAY
Image 28. Inauguration Historical Archives of the European Union of the Alcide De Gasperi (HAEU) Centre by the President of the Italian Republic, The HAEU is the official archives for the Giorgio Napolitano, here historical documents of the Institutions of the with former Italian Prime Minister Giuliano Amato, European Union and is home to more than 160 on 6 May 2015 private archival deposits from eminent European
politicians, movements and associations as well as a collection of documents relating to European integration from National Archives and Ministries of Foreign Affairs Archives. These holdings document an important part of the post-World War II efforts in European integration and cooperation. The HAEU was established following decisions by the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Council in 1983 to open their historical archives to the public. A subsequent agreement in 1984 between the European Commission and the EUI laid the groundwork for establishing the Archives in Florence. The numerous researchers, students, visitors and pupils coming to Villa Salviati confirm the ongoing vital objectives of this European project.
Department of History and Civilization (HEC) The Department of History and Civilization offers a distinctive program that emphasises Europe’s place in a global historical context reaching back over six hundred years. The department foregrounds Europe’s diverse relations with the rest of the world, and especially its roles in global networks of commerce, political organisation, social thought, and the diffusion of scientific knowledge. The Faculty and researchers study Europe’s history comparatively and transnationally, outside of the traditional context of national narratives. The department offers a highly structured academic 29
program in which Ph.D. researchers work very closely with faculty advisers and second readers to develop and execute their projects.
Department of Law (LAW) The Department of Law (and its Academy of European Law) provides a cosmopolitan and vibrant environment for the study of law in its social and economic context. Its ambition is to carry out research on the most significant challenges facing the EU and the world: to shape the terms of legal debate and to contribute to a better understanding of the role law plays and can play in contemporary society. The department’s research focuses on European and International Law. It offers a structured Ph.D. programme which is designed to train future scholars, an LL.M. programme geared to strengthening students’ research skills, and summer schools in European Law and International Law.
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Author: Laura Mesotten Unless otherwise stated, all photos and text in this publication belong to the European University Institute. ©2017 European University Institute 1st edition - Printed in Italy in May 2017
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