| Castellare di Cerbaia | |
|---|---|
| Scandicci - Florence in Italy | |
 Main entrance of Castellare di Cerbaia | |
| Coordinates | 43°41′21.4″N 11°07′22.8″E / 43.689278°N 11.123000°E |
| Site information | |
| Owner | Comune of Scandicci - Florence |
| Open to the public | No, private mansion. |
| Condition | Restored by Paolo Fiaschi in 1991 |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1320–1330 |
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The Castellare di Cerbaia, surrounded by its park, is located in the Val di Pesa near Cerbaia, in the municipality of Scandicci in province of Florence.
History edit
Hypotheses on the origins edit
The Castellare di Cerbaia villa has a rich history of power, prestige, and labor. The building was actually constructed by Acciaiuolo Acciaiuoli, in the early 14th century 1300 using materials recovered from a previous fortress dating back to the year one thousand, probably the Rocca di Cerbaia, a fortification recently destroyed by the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire Henry VII, acclaimed by Dante Alighieri and who came to Italy in an attempt to strengthen the imperial cause.[1].
A prince at the Castellare edit
In 1340-41, Acciaiolo died, leaving the palace and many of his assets to his son Niccolò Acciaiuoli, a lively and unscrupulous mind who held the position of Grand Seneschal of the Kingdom of Naples, and acquired a power almost greater than that of the rulers of the Angevin Kingdom. It was in this context that the Castellare, a beautiful and secure noble residence, served as a refuge for the prince of Taranto Luigi, the promised spouse and future king and consort of Queen Giovanna of Naples[2].
The Castellare and the Carthusians edit
According to his will, upon Niccolò's death in 1365, the fortress (Castrum seu fortilitium Castellari cum viridario) passed into the hands of the monks of the Certosa del Galluzzo, which he had also built at his own expenses [3]. The monks designated it as a Grancia, that is, a farmstead, and continued to expand the Castellare's possessions through acquisitions and donations from the most famous families in Italy. By the early 1700s, the Castellare owned thirteen estates, a mill, and a kiln for the construction and maintenance of their many properties. A curious detail is that the purchase contract for the kiln from the nuns of S. Matteo in Arcetri was notarized by the Florentine nobleman ser Piero da Vinci[4], father of Leonardo da Vinci. The Castellare remained in the possession of the monks for over 400 years. However, at the beginning of 1801, problems arose: all the monks of the Certosa sought refuge for three days in the Castellare, frightened by the occupation of the monastery by French infantrymen who had invaded Tuscany.[5] Then, in 1808, the French government led by Napoleone Bonaparte of the annexed Tuscan territory suppressed all the assets of the monastery, including the Castellare and all its farms.
From the Conti to the modern age edit
In 1814, Grand Duke Ferdinand III returned to Florence. He allowed the monks to return to their convent, but did not return the properties seized by the French, including the Castellare, which was put up for sale and purchased by the Pisan count and general Gian Giuseppe Conti[6]. Gian Giuseppe had two children: Maria Anna who married the knight of the Grand Cross Giovanni Ginori, from whom the current Ginori Conti princes descend, and Cosimo Maurizio who inherited all the assets of the Castellare and married Adelaide the lady of the Corsini princes. The Conti had a profound impact on the Castellare, restoring its noble residence character that dates back to the time of the Acciaioli. After donna Adelaide's death, the Castellare changed hands multiple times and gradually fell into ruin until it was restored through extensive renovation work in 1991 by a cooperative that divided the Castellare into apartments sold to private individuals.
Note edit
- ^ La villa del Castellare presso Cerbaia in val di Pesa, pp 9.
- ^ T. Guarducci, Guida illustrata della val di Pesa, S. Casciano, 1904, pp.286-7
- ^ A.S.F., Congregazioni religiose soppresse dal governo francese - 51, n. 216 inserto 46: Testamentum et ultima voluntas Nicholai de Acciarolis, copy from 1470.
- ^ A.S.F., Congregazioni cit., n. 5." Descrizione della fornace nel 1480
- ^ G. Chiarelli - G. Leoncini, La Certosa del Galluzzo a Firenze, Cassa di Risparmio di Firenze 1982, FI, pag. 38.
- ^ L. Ginori Lisci, I palazzi di Firenze, C.R.F., 1972, FI, col. I, pag.279.