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12 Villas and 2 Gardens included in the Medici Villas and Gardens

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The Medici Villas and Gardens are located in Florence, Italy and consist of twelve villas and two gardens. The villas and gardens are said to have been built around the 15th and 17th centuries and are one of the first examples of links between architecture, gardens, and the environment. The villas and gardens were palaces built for the Medici's. They express harmony with nature, which helped develop the ideas of humanism and eventually the Renaissance ("Medici").

Image Source: After 1677 etching print by Giovanni Giacomo De Rossi on Wikimedia Commons.

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This is an overview of the locations of all of the Medici Villas and Gardens in Florence, Italy. The image helps show that the villas and gardens are not all together in one area or place.

Image Source: Screenshot of Earthstar Geographics on UNESCO.

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A plan for the building of the famous Roman Catholic church know as the Trinità dei Monti on Mount Pincio.

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This image is a "Plan of the garden of the Most Serene Grand Duke of Tuscany at the Trinità dei Monti on Mount Pincio" (Giovanni Battista Falda). The Roman Catholic church is located in Rome, Italy.

Image Source: 1683 etching by Giovanni Battista Falda on  Wikimedia Commons.

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Snapshot: Fun facts about the Medici Family and their family tree!

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Snapshot: Fun facts about the Medici Family and their family tree!

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Fun facts about the Medici Family (shown above)!! The astronomer, Galileo, had a connection to the Medici family because he was hired to be a tutor for Cosimo de Medici, a past grand duke of Tuscany. Later, Galileo published his recent discoveries he had made. One of these discoveries included that Jupiter had moons which were named after the Medici's and the book he published was dedicated to Cosimo. Another fun fact is that from the Medici family came two queens. At age 14, Catherine de' Medici married Henry, the second son of the king of France at the time, and became the queen. From 1600 until 1610, Marie Medici was also the queen of France. Lastly, the Medici bank which they created in Florence became one of the most powerful in Europe via Cosimo Medici (Nix).

Image Source: 2009 on Wikimedia Commons.

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Portrait of Catherine Medici, Queen of France

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Catherine de' Medici was the queen of France from 1547 to 1576 through her marriage to King Henry II of France. She had ten children and seven of them grew up to hold high positions in government, such as kings and queens (Mark). Catherine De' Medici was a powerful queen who kept the French crown thriving through many difficult circumstances. Being a woman did not stop her from having many qualities like those of a strong king (De Balzac and Wormeley 11-12).

Image Source: 1565 by Francois Clouet on Wikimedia Commons.

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One of the most visited and well-known Medici sites are the Boboli Gardens which are located in the middle of Florence. The gardens include fountains and large open spaces to explore, but also smaller private areas. As you enter the gardens you will be surrounded with nature and will also be able to visit the Ponte Vecchio, another historic site, which lies right before you get to the gardens. From the gardens you get a view of the surrounding hills and the city of Florence (Turtle). The Boboli Gardens include many things to look at, admire, and visit. Two examples are the Neptune Fountain, a fountain of Neptune holding a trident, and the Statue of Abundance ("Boboli Gardens").

Image Source: Damian Entwistle on Visit Tuscany.

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The Medici villas and gardens have become a popular tourist site in Italy today. Although many people like to come and visit these sites, they are not necessarily easy to visit. Many people recommend buying tickets ahead of time because it can be busy and many of the sites have unique opening hours (Turtle). Prices can range from 17 dollars per person to visit the Boboli Gardens, or almost 200 dollars per person to get a full tour of some of the Medici villas that are closest together. Some people have loved these tours and getting to see some of the residences and palaces of the Medici, but some say its expensive and not worth it ("The Medici").

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While researching the Medici villas and gardens, and the time around when they were constructed I learned a lot. Before this project, I had only heard of the Medici bank but never really knew much about the family, villas, and gardens. Now I know the villas and gardens are a major part of the Italian culture and that this UNESCO site has a long history. This UNESCO world heritage site interested me the most because I will be traveling to Italy this summer and wanted to learn more about some of the places located there. Although I will not be able to visit any of these sites, I learned what it is like to visit the Medici gardens and villas and exactly what to expect if I were to go.

Image Source: September 21st 2021 by Ivan Petrovic Poljak on Wikimedia Commons.

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Here is a picture of my dog Winnie in Italy that I decided in include in my Padlet just for fun.

Image Source: Padlet AI drawing feature

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brown french bulldog visiting the Medici villas