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# 84 OCTOBER 17 , 2016
# 84 October 17
th
2016
read more about #IT and US
IT AND US:
Save Sammezzano, the most
incredible Italian castle
By Save Sammezzano
Sammezzano Castle is
situated at the top of a
hill overlooking Leccio
in Reggello, less than 30
miles from Florence. The
castle belonged to important Florentine families
including the Gualtierotti,
the Altoviti and the Medici. In 1605, the Spanish
Ximenes of Aragon family
bought it from Giovanni
Jacopo de’Medici.
The brilliant mind of the
last member of this family, Ferdinando (18131897), redesigned the
castle between 1853 and
1889 turning it into the
most incredible example
of eclectic orientalist art in
Italy. Ferdinando Panciatichi Ximenes d’Aragona
was a politician, engineer,
architect, botanist and a
man with a passion for culture. Though he had never
gone abroad, he created
this magical residence,
unique in all Europe.
No words can describe
the beauty of this castle.
Every room features a different style from Moorish
to Arab, from Indian to
Byzantine, in a blaze of colors and outstanding intricate designs.
Of particular note are the
Peacock Hall with its unbelievable patterns, the White Hall with its mosaic tiled
floors, the Hall of Mirrors,
the Hall of Lilies, the Stalactites Room, the Lovers
Room, and many more.
In the spaces between
one room and the next,
there are corners, hidden
niches, stained glass windows, columns, arches,
domes and many writings.
After the Second World
War, the castle was used
as a luxury hotel until
1990, when it closed. In
1999, it was bought by an
Anglo-Italian
Company
but nothing was done and
the castle has been abandoned ever since.
60 | WE THE ITALIANS
WE THE ITALIANS | 61
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