The area is dotted with Medici farms, showing just how prosperous the area was in those times. The elegance and excellent craftsmanship of those properties married well with the surrounding area creating a unique atmosphere.
The Medici and Lorenzo the Magnificent left many signs in Mugello of their power that united economic and political growth as well as innovative artistic expression. This was not just a result of a patronage of the arts, but was also part of a cultural context where aesthetics and logical organisation were given an importance. This can be seen in the geometrical division of fields and woodland to the creation of canals for water as well as the building methods and proportions of certain farmhouses, villas and churches and finally in the well balanced planning of the settlements.
Villa di Cafaggiolo was one of the favourite residences of Lorenzo the Magnificent and was created by Michelozzo Michelozzi around 1451. The architect transformed the manor house adapting it to the new trend for villa residences. The villa was the venue for many meetings between dames and merchants, captains and scholars as well as conferences and country festivals. Above all however, it was the place members of the Medici family would spend their summers and autumns. At the dining table, Luigi Pulci read his Morgante and Lorenzo composed carnival-like cantos. Poliziano, Marsilio Ficino, Pico della Mirandola would stay there and in 1515, Leone also spent some time there. In 1576, Eleonora di Toledi was stabbed by her husband Piero de’ Medici in a room on the second floor. Behind the villa is a vast and dense woodland enclosed by a wall where members of the Medici family would spend their free time hunting.
“Convento del Bosco ai Frati”, founded by the Ubaldini family, before the year 1000, is considered one of the oldest monasteries in Tuscany.
Castello del Trebbio, an imposing structure, sits at an elevation of 500m and overlooks Mugello that in the past was a junction for many important roads.
Fortezza di S. Martino, It is characterized by seven bastions that stand at intervals along the irregular walled confines. The fort is almost a mile long and at its most dominant position stands the mastio (Tuscan for male) known as the knight on a horse.
Inside the fortress we find the keep that housed the quarters of the lord and garrison, which, along with the chapel, made up the actual defensive core of the fort.
Palazzo dei Vicari: Il Palazzo dei Vicari, built in the 1300s, over the years has undergone much restoration work and transformation. The coat of the arms of the Medici family can be seen on the facade. Members of the family held office here throughout the ages. Today, it houses an important collection of historical archives and the Museo dei Ferri Taglienti (Museum of cutting blades), a craft that the village of Scarperia is famous for.
Villa Torre Palagio: from 1457 to 1466, the fortress was the retreat of many scholars including Luigi Pulci, Lorenzo the Magnificent, Mariotto Davanzati and Bernardo Gianbullari.
