Venue

Directions

From Florence: take the Via Bolognese until you reach Pratolino. Here you will find a turn to the right signed to Bivigliano – take this road. After about 1 km there is a turn off to the left signed for Caselline – take this. Approx. 400m after the small village of Valiani you will find the Villa on the left hand-side. Follow signs to parking area. If you were to carry on up the hill you would come to the village of Bivigliano.

From Fiesole (and from the Badia Fiesolana): Best route to be confirmed

A map showing how to reach the Villa can be found here.

Hints & Tips

Bivigliano is located in hilly countryside and the roads can be uneven, winding and steep – you have been warned! This does mean though that the sharper the bend in the road the more spectacular the scenery.

The Villa is 700m above sea level and although June is notoriously hot in Florence, the evenings up at the Villa may well be cooler. Therefore we recommend you bring a light jersey/shawl to keep you warm especially as the plan is to have the reception outdoors.

The Villa has a large parking area, straight passed the entrance (it will be sign-posted).

Address: Villa di Bivilgiano, Via dei Viliani, 84 – 50030, Bivigliano (FI), Italy

Short History

This villa, a typical example of 16th-century architecture, was built over the ancient ruins of a castle belonging to the Ginori family. Used by the Ginori as a summer residence, the villa is set in 12 hectares of beautiful parkland, created as a game reserve. In 1860, at the same time as the woodland was laid out, the famous "artificial grotto", an underground chamber reached by a spiral staircase, was created. The property was also adorned with a fine formal garden consisting of box-edged flower-beds with a fountain at the centre and, at a lower level, an orchard. In the mid-19th century the property was bought by General Giorgio Pozzolini who carried out extensive reforesting work as part of a detailed nature park scheme, supplementing the local vegetation with other kinds of trees - various types of oak tree, cypress trees, hornbeams and horse chestnuts, as well as other more exotic species of conifer.

Lelia & Jonny