Hills of Bellosguardo

The Bellosguardo hill has preserved unchanged the tranquility and architecture of the days of Dante and the Medici family. Even today, antique villas surrounded by parks and gardens immortalized in literature give visitors the rare privilege of unique views over Florence.

The forgotten hill of Florence

Bellosguardo is a green hump on the eastern edge of Florence. It's part of the Fiesole Hills. The name itself means "beautiful view," and it was once said that one could see all seven kingdoms from the top. In fact, all you can see today is greenery, vineyards, and olive trees. Apart from that, Bellosguardo hill is home to several beautiful villas interspersed with gorse bushes that flourish in springtime.

Umbrella villa

In the hills of Bellosguardo, the Villa dell'Ombrellino, a former private palace, is one of the most enchanting locations in Tuscany. The park of the villa is embellished by unique specimens of trees and plants from all over the world. The Medici family owned the Villa dell'Ombrellino (Italian for "Umbrella") until the 18th century, and then it became a property of the House of Lorraine-Habsburgs. 

Torre di Bellosguardo

Bellosguardo is a beautiful villa in Florence, Italy. It serves as a home for artists, writers, scholars, and musicians for short-term residencies who are working on projects relating to Italian culture and history. The building also has a small art gallery that exhibits the work of contemporary Florentine artists. The villa was built in 1851 by Princess Elisa Bonaparte Baciocchi (niece of Napoleon Bonaparte) for her husband, Felice Baciocchi. Both were French aristocrats who had been made Grand Dukes of Tuscany. Torre di Bellosguardo is a special hotel now providing an authentic example of a historic Florentine residence.