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A trip out of Florence
[Jane Whittle]
During the Middle Ages, the steep slopes of the hill south of Fiesole prevented many of the local aristocrats from building their lordly mansions or ‘case da signore’ (as they were then called), in the area above Maiano and San Domenico. The beautiful country houses we can see today were only built after the Medici had made the area fashionable by commissioning the architect Michelozzo to construct their splendid Villa Medici in the 1450’s. The lovely terraced olive groves covering the hills of Fiesole are the result of the work of centuries, and were highly cultivated during the Grand Duchy of Florence (from 1555 to the late 18th century). Cypress trees began to dominate the landscape during the Romantic Age, while the view became a means of transcending the physical limits of the garden itself. The fascination of all these foreign admirers and collectors for everything that was medieval as well as the suggestive landscape strongly infl uenced their choice of residence and the changes they introduced. Today Fiesole is famous for its many historical and cultural resources. Its museums, churches, monuments, Etruscan and Roman remains, castles and villas, most of which can reached on foot from the main square, are an unforgettable experience for all visitors. The splendid Roman Theatre, symbol of the town, the Abbey at San Domenico, dating from around the year 1000, the beautiful Church of San Francesco, the Archaeological Museum, full of Etruscan finds, the Bandini Museum, with its fascinating collection of 13th and 14th century paintings and Della Robbia sculpture, and the Primo Conti Museum, recently re-named the Avant-Garde Museum and containing over 150 drawings and paintings carried out by the artist between 1911 and 1985, are all well worth a visit and make a really enjoyable day out, away from the bustle and noise of the city below.MORE