Florence, Fratelli d'Italia proposes creating a Medici Museum at the Villa di Careggi

A Medici Museum may soon be built at the Villa Medicea Careggi, one of the oldest of the villas belonging to the powerful Florentine family. Located in the suburban district of Careggi on the outskirts of Florence, it was built to a design by Michelozzo by Cosimo il Vecchio, the first de facto lord of Florence, and his brother Lorenzo il Vecchio: work was probably completed in 1427. The name of the villa at Careggi is inextricably linked to the humanists who gathered here (Marsilio Ficino, Pico della Mirandola, Poliziano, Cristoforo Landino and others), as well as to the name of Lorenzo the Magnificent, who was born here in 1448. The villa remained with the Medici until the extinction of the main branch of the family, that of the Grand Dukes of Tuscany: the estate thus passed to the Lorraine, who in 1780, with Pietro Leopoldo, sold the villa to the new owner Vincenzo Orsi. After several changes of ownership, in 1936 the last owner, Rosina Cirillo Fornaciari, sold the complex to the Santa Maria Nuova Archispedale, and in some of the land belonging to the villa the Careggi Hospital was built. The villa thus housed some of the offices of the local health authority.

Today the Villa Medicea di Careggi is in the hands of the Region of Tuscany: the last offices moved in in 2008, and subsequently the building was the subject of a recovery and restoration project also financed in part by the Region, which should be completed in November 2023. What then to do with the villa? The idea is to turn it into a museum: last January 21, there was an inspection attended by the minister of culture, Gennaro Sangiuliano, the governor of Tuscany Eugenio Giani and the director of the Uffizi Eike Schmidt , who evaluated the possibility of allocating the villa to a museum function. And today there is talk of opening a museum dedicated specifically to the Medici family in the villa: last May 11, the regional council approved a motion proposed by Fratelli d’Italia that intends to commit the region to move in this direction, since, the text reads, “to date there is not in Florence and Tuscany a ’Medici Museum’ entirely dedicated to retracing the history and vicissitudes of one of the most influential families in the history of our land, if not even of our nation and all of Europe”, and “the existence of a ’Museum of the Medici’ could institutionalize and conclude” the Medici itinerary composed of the Medici Riccardi Palace, the Basilica of San Lorenzo and the Medici Chapels, “improving the Florentine and Tuscan tourist and cultural offerings, as well as enhancing the Medicean Villa of Careggi, an asset that has been part of the Unesco World Heritage List since 2013.”

That of the Medici could be, said Francesco Torselli, group leader in the regional council of Fratelli d’Italia and first signatory of the motion, “a museum that will potentially be able to attract many visitors in an area far from the center, but well served by public transportation, thus capable of going in the direction of spreading tourist attractions throughout the city and contributing to the decongestion of the historic center. We have given Florence and Tuscany a gift that will last forever, and today I am particularly proud that this initiative comes from Fratelli d’Italia.”

At the moment, however, no details have been leaked about the eventual museological and museographic project regarding the possible “Medici Museum”: for now, it is only a proposal, which of course will have to be vetted by experts. What will be on display? What works will be there? Or will it simply be an itinerary illustrating the history of the lineage? That is yet to be determined for now.

Image: the Medici Villa in Careggi. Photo: Francesco Bini

Florence, Fratelli d'Italia proposes creating a Medici Museum at the Villa di Careggi

Warning: the translation into English of the original Italian article was created using automatic tools. We undertake to review all articles, but we do not guarantee the total absence of inaccuracies in the translation due to the program. You can find the original by clicking on the ITA button. If you find any mistake,please contact us.