I'll be staying in Florence at the end of June 2010 for 10 days.

I've planned several day trips and I'm looking at some other optionals.

I've seen some photos of Medici villas outside of Florence and they really look worth a visit.

I'm interested in visiting Petraia and Castello on their own or possibly as part of a day trip to Fiesole.

Also of interest is Poggio a Caiano possibly part of a day trip to Prato and Pistoia.

I'll be using public transportation.

Has anybody been to these villas?

I visited Poggio a Caiano last fall. It was great. You do have to go through with a group, and the promised English-language visit never materialized on the day I was there, but I was able to follow a lot of the Italian. The Pontormo frescos were worth the trip by themselves. The garden was also wild and romantic.

You catch a bus near the Florence train station; I can't remember exactly how long it took, think it's about 30 minutes outside the city. Before you get off the bus, ask where your return stop is, as there are two companies that go through the town and the tickets are not interchangeable.

Hope you go and enjoy it!

I have visited Castello and Petraia. They are both very beautiful and of great interest to people who love Italian gardens.

Here are some of my photos from Villa Petraia, if you're interested: http://gardentouring.fotopic.net/p22834835.html
And http://gardentouring.fotopic.net/p22834805.html

Here's a link to more info: http://www.polomuseale.firenze.it/en...a/default.asp?

And from Villa Castello: http://gardentouring.fotopic.net/p22834816.html

Here's a link to more info: http://www.polomuseale.firenze.it/en...o/Default.asp?

Myer, I hope you'll report back.

Thanks for the responses. This is great.

Jean,

If you search thru my posts you'll find that all of my U.S. and European trips have reports.

Forgot to ask.

Can I assume that other than Castello you go inside the villas as well as the gardens?

The tourist office in Florence was very helpful with bus routes, which villas can be visited, open days, etc.

I second Poggio a Caiano - as stated the frescos are amazing, as are the grounds. The staff can definitely be aloof also! I have some details here from our visit: http://www.florence-on-line.com/arou...-a-caiano.html

There is bus and hours info at the bottom - may be a little out of date by now!

They had an ice house on the grounds, and huge limonia also.

Thanks.

InFlorence, I read that article.

I'm getting more tempted to build a few villas into the trip.

Do you have to make advance reservations to visit any of Poggio a Caiano, Petraia or Castello?

Oh yes, how do you pronounce Poggio a Caiano?

Thanks.

There's a technical system for showing international translations, which looks like Greek, no pun intended. That said, I'll try a different approach. Note that in "Poggio" that you have 2 g's. That requires your holding the applicable sound of a "j" a half second longer. This in mind: FIRST WORD, "Poggio" think "mojo" except with a "P" instead of an "m", for "Poggio", making the "j" sound a half second longer; SECOND WORD, "a", think "ah", as in, "Ah. I see what you're saying."; THIRD WORD, "Caiano", think "kiyah" for the first four letters "caia" and, then "no" as in "no" for the last 2 letters to result in "kiyahno". That will do better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick, but some Italian professor could do it remarkably better, I am sure.

CapriAnniversary,

In spite of that explanation, I'm still very tempted to go.

Thanks.

Reading - can recommend Alan Moorehead's <i>The Villa Diana; Travels in Post-War Italy</i> (the Villa Diana, down the hill from the Villa Medici in Fiesole and where Moorehead took up residence in 1948 as the base for his travels in Italy, was once home to Lorenzo's poet scholar Poliziano).

I saw Julia's photos and just a comment that they were from a few years ago. We were at Petraia last month. On the
Florence bus line but no one knew where it was and we missed it by two stops. After we walked there, it was sort of open. We were there when it was "open" but could not get it. I'm not sure how to get you more information.

jan,

Thanks for the head-up on the issue of "open".

I'll try to call them directly in a few months.

I try to minimize bus travel as much as possible. So I'll be doing it by train.

From SMN to Firence Castello.

It's a 15 minute walk to Villa Castello (gardens only open) then another 15 minutes to Patraia. Depending upon the weather maybe take a taxi from the train station to the farther one and walk back.

Then train to Prato. Spend several hours in the town and bus to Poggio a Caiano.

And last, depending upon the time train to Pistoia for a few hours before returning to Florence (40 minutes by train).