Villa Medicea di Cafaggiolo

Villa Cafaggiolo, just west of San Piero a Sieve, was owned by Averardo de' Medici, father of Giovanni di Bicci, the founder of the dynasty's banking fortunes. It was a favourite of Giovanni's son Cosimo il Vecchio, who had his favourite architect Michelozzo expand and transform it into an imposing castellated villa.

Today the entrance protected by a bulging tower, adorned with an incongruous clock. In the series of lunettes of Medici villas painted in 1599 by Gustav Utens (now in the Palazzo Vecchio), the villa originally sported an even taller central tower, similar to the one at Villa La Petraia. An irrigation system enabled the Medici to eventually add fountains and other water features to the gardens, and to plant the ultimate Tuscan luxury, a green lawn.