Early Florentine Suburban Villas (1388-1429)

This study introduces a body of detailed household inventories that sheds new light on the original appearance and functions of numerous case da signore around Florence between the late fourteenth and early fifteenth centuries, including residences that would later develop into prominent Renaissance villas—such as Pitti’s Rusciano, Cavalcanti’s Bellosguardo, and the Medici villas at Lappeggi, Marignolle, and Fiesole. These room-by-room inventories make possible a nuanced analysis of the forms and uses of rural properties, typically organized around a fortified core with a tower. While many retained defensive features, by the Trecento they had also become comfortable residences in which Florentines recreated aspects of the lifestyle enjoyed in their urban homes. The evidence confirms the dual role of the rural residence: on the one hand, a productive investment at the center of an agricultural estate; on the other, a setting for intellectual life and leisure, equipped with guest accommodations, substantial collections of artworks and books, and, above all, a sala. This defining space closely mirrored the multifunctionality of its urban counterpart and served as the principal setting for much of the social and cultural activity described in contemporary literature.