Villa Gamberaia — Attraction in Florence

Villa Gamberaia, ||When Love meets Poetry in the capital of the Arts…||By Estelle Arielle Bouchet||One of the most beautiful gardens of Italy belong to the historic Villa Gamberaia whose long terraced slopes hang softly over the city of Florence, and the mirror-like pools of its famous parterre d’eau reflect the ever-changing moods of the Florentine sky. Its unique garden plan and setting in the Tuscan landscape have been studied and celebrated by architectural historians and garden designers throughout the centuries.||At the turn of the twentieth century Villa Gamberaia was home to two artists: Princess Jeanne Ghyka, sister of Queen Nathalie of Serbia, and her American companion Florence Blood. It was under Princess Ghyka’s loving care and vision that Gamberaia became the enchanted place to which a privilege few were invited, a private and exclusive retreat to European royalty, diplomats and art connoisseurs. In 1896 and again in 1898, the poet Gabriele d’Annunzio visited the Gamberaia, recording in his journal its mysterious charm and imagining it as the stage set for his dramas. In the following years, he lived not far away at the Capponcina, just across the road from his beloved Eleanora Duse. From its origins in the early1600 to the present, it preserves the cherished memories of all who have lived here or visited, a place of both worldly beauty and spiritual wonder.||What else if one decides to marry or to celebrate in Tuscany? What more than this feeling of “plenitude” in such a remarkable location? Having spent plenty of time in this enchanting space, I can testify that Past and Present tend to merge here in a magical dimension, evoking a kind of Eternal Eden.||Today it is a joy to consider that persons from around the world now have the opportunity to celebrate their marriage, or renew their vows, in the chapel of Gamberaia or in its flagrant green gardens or spend a holiday in the guest houses of the property. Hosts will enjoy a refined Tuscan dinner on the terrace overlooking Florence, where the stunning view is framed by statues of urns and hunting dogs, set in sharp relief against the dramatic sunsets of the City of the Medici. Located about fifteen minutes by car to the wonderful art treasures of the city as well to other villas and gardens in the vicinity.||The Villa Gamberaia brings all these memories where love and transcendental beauty are leitmotifs… Villa Gamberaia still retains the original plan of a terraced garden to the early 17th century. The setting and layout were praised by Edith Wharton, who saw it after years of neglect when its former French style parterre had been turned into a flower and vegetable garden and by Georgina Masson, who saw it restored by Sig. Marcello Marchi after its near ruin during the Second World War to the immaculately clipped and tailored condition today. Today Villa Gamberaia belongs to his son in law, Luigi Zalum, husband of the late Franca Marchi, Marcello’s daughter and to Luigi and Franca’s children.||Set high upon the crest of the hill, the Gamberaia stands above the adjacent agrarian countryside. Its terraces are filled with simple but elegant architecture and a variety of greenery. Entering through its gates, one is struck by its other-worldliness, the surreal character of the enclosed space. One cannot fall to admire its beauty, to feel its grandeur, to marvel at its intimacy and to puzzle over the harmonious assemblage of separate garden spaces. The siting and composition, created by Lapi family in the early 1600s, further refined and embellished by their successors, the marchesi Capponi , is a simple yet subtle lesson of garden design, perfectly integrated into the Tuscan landscape. On the highest level, the lemon house and terrace with its delicious and fragrant lemon trees overhang the main level with its formal arrangement of garden rooms. Below the lowest terrace the olive groves extend far into the valley eye. ||||||The surrounding countryside and borgo||||The village of Settignano is a picturesque village situated on a hillside northeast of Florence, Italy, with spectacular views. The little borgo of Settignano carries a familiar name for having produced three sculptors of the Florentine Renaissance, Desiderio da Settignano and the Gamberini brothers, better known as Bernardo and Antonio Rossellino. The young Michelangelo lived with a sculptor and his wife in Settignano—in a farmhouse that is now the "Villa Michelangelo"— where his father owned a marble quarry. In 1511 another sculptor was born there, Bartolomeo Ammannati. It was the stone quarries of Settignano produced this remarkable series of sculptors.||Roman remains are to be found in the borgo which claims connections to Septimus Severus — in whose honor a statue was erected in the old square in the 16th century, destroyed in 1944— though habitation here long preceded the Roman emperor. Settignano was a secure summer resort for members of the Guelf faction of Florence. Giovanni Boccaccio and Niccolò Tommaseo both appreciated its freshness, among the vineyards and olive groves that are the preferred setting for even the most formal Italian gardens.||And the Villa Gamberaia reigns in a tribute to Love and Poetry! ||It offers a fantastic opportunity for an unforgettable celebration or holiday.||With the support of Patricia Osmond, PhD||Curator, Historic Archives||Villa Gamberaia (Florence)|||||||||| ||||Via del Rossellino, 72 50135...

Villa Gamberaia, When Love meets Poetry in the capital of the Arts… By Estelle Arielle Bouchet One of the most beautiful gardens of Italy belong to the historic Villa Gamberaia whose long terraced slopes hang softly over the city of Florence, and the mirror-like pools of its famous parterre d’eau reflect the ever-changing moods of the Florentine sky. Its unique garden plan and setting in the Tuscan landscape have been studied and celebrated by architectural historians and garden designers throughout the centuries. At the turn of the twentieth century Villa Gamberaia was home to two artists: Princess Jeanne Ghyka, sister of Queen Nathalie of Serbia, and her American companion Florence Blood. It was under Princess Ghyka’s loving care and vision that Gamberaia became the enchanted place to which a privilege few were invited, a private and exclusive retreat to European royalty, diplomats and art connoisseurs. In 1896 and again in 1898, the poet Gabriele d’Annunzio visited the Gamberaia, recording in his journal its mysterious charm and imagining it as the stage set for his dramas. In the following years, he lived not far away at the Capponcina, just across the road from his beloved Eleanora Duse. From its origins in the early1600 to the present, it preserves the cherished memories of all who have lived here or visited, a place of both worldly beauty and spiritual wonder. What else if one decides to marry or to celebrate in Tuscany? What more than this feeling of “plenitude” in such a remarkable location? Having spent plenty of time in this enchanting space, I can testify that Past and Present tend to merge here in a magical dimension, evoking a kind of Eternal Eden. Today it is a joy to consider that persons from around the world now have the opportunity to celebrate their marriage, or renew their vows, in the chapel of Gamberaia or in its flagrant green gardens or spend a holiday in the guest houses of the property. Hosts will enjoy a refined Tuscan dinner on the terrace overlooking Florence, where the stunning view is framed by statues of urns and hunting dogs, set in sharp relief against the dramatic sunsets of the City of the Medici. Located about fifteen minutes by car to the wonderful art treasures of the city as well to other villas and gardens in the vicinity. The Villa Gamberaia brings all these memories where love and transcendental beauty are leitmotifs… Villa Gamberaia still retains the original plan of a terraced garden to the early 17th century. The setting and layout were praised by Edith Wharton, who saw it after years of neglect when its former French style parterre had been turned into a flower and vegetable garden and by Georgina Masson, who saw it restored by Sig. Marcello Marchi after its near ruin during the Second World War to the immaculately clipped and tailored condition today. Today Villa Gamberaia belongs to his son in law, Luigi Zalum, husband of the late Franca Marchi, Marcello’s daughter and to Luigi and Franca’s children. Set high upon the crest of the hill, the Gamberaia stands above the adjacent agrarian countryside. Its terraces are filled with simple but elegant architecture and gates, one is struck by its other-worldliness, enclosed space. One cannot fall to admire its beauty, to feel its grandeur, to marvel at its intimacy and to puzzle over the harmonious assemblage of separate garden spaces. The siting and composition, created by Lapi family in the early 1600s, further refined and embellished by their successors, the marchesi Capponi , is a simple yet subtle lesson of garden design, perfectly integrated into the Tuscan landscape. On the highest level, the lemon house and terrace with its delicious and fragrant lemon trees overhang the main level with its formal arrangement of garden rooms. Below the lowest terrace the olive groves extend far into the valley eye. The village of Settignano is a picturesque village situated on a hillside...

We arrived June 21 approximately one in the afternoon with my whole family and we waited an hour and a half by the gate until' a housekeeper finally opened up ,she spoke no English and directed us to the front desk where Raymond and Luca had a worker show us to our villa.we couldn't drive our van up to the villa , so they asked us to walk , with our luggage up a hill where we would stay for close to 3 1/2 weeks. It was extremely hot that day and when the door opened to the villa the air condition was broken all around the house there was bugs everywhere and water was dripping from each corner of the ceiling to the floor. The swimming pool in the back was filled with leaves bugs dirt same with the tables and chairs. The Wi-Fi was ripped from the walls and was not working at all lightbulbs were missing and the door lock was broken. By the time a representative came up to see the house it was almost sundown kids were starving we drove three hours from a different part of Italy. At this point we were getting very nervous for the children and ourselves so I proceeded to take pictures and asked the kids together in one room and try to sleep for the night , we had some snacks thank goodness. Finally about 7 o'clock woman Antonella arrived with her boyfriend who did not work there and they were very rude and actually scary and intimidating. They looked over everything and then left us there in those conditions. After the hellish night we woke up to see our children filled with bugs all over them crying on their toothbrushes on their face everywhere in the bathrooms and the bed and the and the couch we slept on. We put everything back together in the truck and we just spoke to the front desk and said we were leaving and we'd like our deposit back and they said absolutely not, because of the cancellation agreement. They tried offering us another villa but it was also in the same condition. so we said we would contact American Express and requested a dispute and moved on to a better place that day. We spent the rest of the time in Italy and enjoyed it immensely and made the trip a lot better for our children and our family. The man Luca explained that he's the son of the owner and he's in a lawsuit with his dad which is 94 years old . So he said he would give us $2500 out of his own pocket because he admitted the place was in bad shape . we spent that night and there holding $6000 which was our deposit. I will be sending pictures of the Villa to put on their site so other people don't get trapped the way we did. The family there are the worst people we've ever met in our lives and they make Florence Italy look horrible. If Luca would stand by his word in giving us $2500 back out of the $6000 at this point would be helpful. We used our savings to take this trip with my family and we would be...