The villa of Castelpulci stands in the municipality of Scandicci, near the Viottolone, and with its scenic façade can be seen from the whole Arno valley between Scandicci and Lastra a Signa. A castle of the Cadolingi counts once stood here, later passing to the Pulci, the family of the poets Luigi, Bernardo and Luca Pulci, who lived here; in 1321 it was bought by Cardinal Napoleone Orsini.
What to see
From 1511 to 1590 the villa belonged to the Soderini, and then to the Riccardi, who from 1667 enlarged it until the building was three times its size: in 1691 the very long entrance avenue was laid out, and the façade facing the via Pisana is the work of Gioacchino Fortini. The Riccardi kept it until 1854, when the family died out.
Once public property, the villa was turned into a psychiatric hospital, for the healthiness of the site and to relieve the hospital of Santa Maria Nuova. From January 1918 to 1 March 1932, the day of his death, the poet Dino Campana lived here. In 1966, during the Florence flood, it was also used to store books from the National Library. The hospital closed in 1973; after years of neglect, restoration began in 2002, and since 2012 the villa has been the seat of the Scuola superiore della magistratura, which trains Italy's magistrates.
Visiting
The villa houses a public training body: it can be seen from outside, and whether the interior can be visited should be checked with the School.
Our editors' tip
Dino Campana's remains have rested since 1946 in the nearby Badia a Settimo: the two visits can be combined in a single day.
