The
Villa Gamberaia is a 14th Century Tuscan villa located on the outskirts of Florence, ten minutes' walk from the ATAF bus stop at Settignano, and famous for its beautiful "hanging" garden. Villa Gamberaia has featured in almost every
book about the formal gardens of Tuscany since Platt and Morgan's
Italian Gardens of 1884.
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| The garden of Villa Gamberaia, one of the most famous historical villas in Tuscany |
From 1895 until 1925, Villa Gamberaia was owned by the increasingly
eccentric Princess Jeanne Ghyka, sister of Queen Natalia of Serbia, who
lived here with her equally eccentric American companion, Miss Blood,
and thoroughly restored the villa and reconstructed garden. It was she
who substituted pools of water for the parterre beds. Although, as her
great beauty faded, she was only ever glimpsed, if at all, draped from
head to foot in veils, Lady Sybil Cutting of Villa Medici and mother of Iris Origo,
reported being told that the princess would sometimes emerge from the
villa at dawn to swim in the pools. The villa was badly damaged during
WW II but brilliantly restored from 1954 onwards by Marcello Marchi.
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| Villa Gamberaia seen from the garden |
While innumerable visitors have made the pilgrimage to visit this enchanting Tuscan villa garden, few seem to have realised that we now have
the opportunity to stay at Villa Gamberaia, one of the most famous historical villas in Tuscany! That's right - you can spend your vacation at one of the most beautiful and famous villas in Tuscany, indeed, in all of Italy, either in the guest houses that have been created in some of the annexes to the main villa or in the main villa itself. The apartments are self-catering and furnished in exquisite and luxurious taste. In addition, the reception rooms and grounds of the villa can be rented for
events and Tuscan weddings.
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| One of the guest rooms at Villa Gamberaia |
Click here for more information about vacation accommodation and events opportunities at Villa Gamberaia.
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Don't forget to visit Elena Spolaor's
Travel Guide!
Up-to-date news on what to see and where to stay in Chianti and all of Tuscany & Umbria.
Chianti Travel Guide
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Author: Anna Maria Baldini
