Villa il Roseto

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This narrow garden, which clings to the rocky hill below the centre of Fiesole, affords one of the most beautiful views over Florence and the Arno Valley. An avenue leads to the villa, built by Belgian painter Consuelo De Jevenois between the late 19th and early 20th century, when these hills were largely populated by foreigners. The Roseto villa has a beautiful flower garden filled with hydrangeas, azaleas and roses, with two paths leading to two panoramic points higher up. The only way a garden could be laid out on this steeply sloping site was through the creation of terraces. A whole range of different plant species have been planted on the terraces here (cypress, oleander, bitter orange, cherry, laurel, pomegranate and plants typical of Mediterranean scrubland). Short rows of olive trees border the serena stone pathways, lined with wild roses and irises. The very simple, ochre-coloured villa building is based on typical Tuscan farmhouse style. A five-arched loggia separates off the belvedere and the upper part of the garden. Architect Giovanni Michelucci, who lived here from 1958 with his wife, the painter Eloisa Pacini, made hardly any changes to the property. The garden is still laid out over the old terracing, and many of the original plants which are typical of the area have been kept. In compliance with the wishes of the Michelucci couple, a Michelucci Foundation has now been set up, comprising the villa, the library buildings, and the study drawings and models produced by the architect, who died in 1991 just before his hundredth birthday. The foundation is also connected with the publication of the La Nuova Città review, the aim of which is to promote social architecture studies in the field of prisons, hospitals and schools.

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www.cultura.toscana.it/architetture/giardini/firenze/vi...