Tuscany presents many lustrous attractions, it presents the
gloriousness that is the Renaissance and it can give you royalty in the most
peculiar places. Just about thirty minutes outside of Florence, there is a town
of Cerreto Guidi. Now, on a map I didn’t even give this puny little town (paesino or cittadino for all you up and coming Italian enthusiasts) a second
glance. However, when diving into the significance of this little town’s
history I found some extraordinary events.
At the
heart of the village is a circle of house and roads that all lead to centrally
dominated 16th century Villa Medicea. One may look at this villa and
think “no biggie”; however, this isn’t just a villa of a normal family but is
the villa of the Medici family. The villa was designed and built by Buontalenti
in 1555 by order of Cosimo I dei Medici who used it mainly as a hunting
residence for the family. Though, the
villa is quite famous due to a legend that surrounds the mysterious death of
Isabella dei Medici: it is said that she died at the ands of her husband, Paolo
Giordano I Orsini, duke of Bracciano, who strangled her after a presumed
betrayal. One can begin to understand where the animosity of the Orsini and
Medici originated! Since then, it is said that the ghost of the sad Isabella
still roams around the villas seeking peace. Though, I found the villa very
peaceful with its surrounding landscapes and rolling Tuscan views. Maybe
Isabella realized that she was in Tuscany and so roaming around a circle for
centuries was boring. 
Now a day,
the legend brings in many visitors who are eager to see what the Villa offers,
and in reality it offers a home full of family history. I felt as if I walked
into a person’s lake home back in Texas. The house met its purpose; a purpose
to be a retreat and the ambiance it gave off was just that of retreat. It was
secluded in a circle, in a speck of a city and tucked in the hillside. It was
personal. It felt personal, and I loved every second of it. The house today is
full of all the Medici’s personal portraits, splendid furniture and hunting
weapons (since it was a Hunting lodge). It is complimented with a personal
garden for a stroll, and a church for the Medici’s to repent for their sins so they were probably in there nightly.
Take the 30-minute west towards Pisa, get off at Empoli,
take bus 49 up to Cerreto Guidi and get lost in the streets. It won’t be hard
to find where you’re going eventually, because soon you’ll be standing in a
circle full of royals. Maybe you’ll see
Isabella.
