THE QUARRY @ VILLA MAIANO , FIESOLE , FIRENZE , ITALIA
VILLA MAIANO
" The Fattoria di Maiano ,the origins of which date back to 1400 ,
enjoys an enviable position amid the hills of Fiesole
just 5 km from the historic center of Florence. This area has seen the
work of famous people such as Leonardo da Vinci ,
Michelangelo, Benedetto and Giuliano da Maiano , Boccaccio and many
others. The Fattoria di Maiano , with its buildings
and houses scattered around the countryside is nestled in the hills of
Fiesole and Florence and , for centuries, has been
a place where the stone has been quarried and used to make the
buildings in the city of Florence.
In the 1960's Mike and I used to stay with a family at Pratolino in
their B/B 10 km from Maiano and each day we would drive
down the mountain, stop in Fiesole @ Le Terrazza , Villa Aurora for a
meal or coffee. We had bought a Fiat 850 from
Signore Scotti who had the dealership in Firenze that Aunt Titine
introduced us to so we got a good deal. He would buy
back the car when we decided to sail home in the Achille Lauro, to
Sydney , Australia.
To be immersed in Renaissance culture art and architecture was a dream
come true and still to day we are filled with wonderment.
Mike had his Birthday on Maiano and we walked to the Quarry filled
with awe that we were walking the same path as these great artists.
In 1844 , Sir John Temple Leader, the son of a wealthy London
industrialist, arrived in Florence. He bought land, the abandoned
quarries ,
the Village of Maiano with the Villa and numerous settlements
scattered around the area , including the ruins of the Vincigliata
Castle and
the Villa i Tatti complex, which now belong to Harvard University and
is home to the Harvard Center for Italian Renaissance Studies.
