- Villa Arrighetti
Villa Arrighetti is a villa in
Tuscany ,Italy , situated inArcetri nearFlorence . The original house was built in 1472, but was rebuilt in its present form by Giulio de Filippo Arrighetti in1602 . Arrighetti was friendly with the scientistGalileo , who retired to Arcetri, effectively under house arrest after the condemnation of his theories. A plaque on the wall commemorates their friendship.The house is also known as "Il Galateo" or "Podere Celline", and was a meeting point in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries of the "Arcadia dei pastori Antellesi", a cultural party grouping local poets, aristocrats, artists and literary figures.
The house is also notable for its splendid gardens, laid out in the 1950's by
Anna d'Orleans . The garden draws on the traditional features of Tuscan gardens, laid out on a steep slope in a series of terraces, and merging with the surrounding countryside.References
* Ramsay, A., and Attlee, H. "Italian Gardens", Robertson McCarta, London 1989.
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