Villa Medicea di Cafaggiolo, Barberino di Mugello

The district of Mugello, north of Florence, was the original home of the Medici family. It was at the time of Lorenzo the Magnificent that the Medicis had this, one of their first country villas, built very near to Artimino. In 1454 Michelozzo was placed in charge of the villa's construction, which was to be used primarily for hunting purposes. The peculiarity of the villa lies in its crenelated tower at the front of the building with battlements on each side and reinforced on each corner with strong bastions like a medieval castle. The extensive private gardens are not open to the public. Another place worthy of a visit is the nearby Castello di Trebbio, which was another of Michelozzo's accomplishments. The construction involved the restructuring of an old medieval castle, commissioned by Cosimo il Vecchio, between 1427 and 1436. This too is privately owned and may be visited on request.