Villa Masini is a celebrated architectural gem located in Montevarchi in Tuscany. Built as a statement of love by the entrepreneur Angiolo Masini, it was designed by local engineer Giuseppe Petrini and work began in 1924. Masini didn’t scrimp, wanting to build a perfect family home for himself and his beloved wife, and sought out the best and most talented painters, glass-makers, and textile artists and the finest stone, marble, furniture, and fittings to outfit their house. They deemed the work perfect by 1927 but, tragically, the love of his life had died by then. However, this Art Nouveau and Art Deco gem remains as a testament to some of the finest craftsmen in Italy at the time and to the love Masini had for his wife. If you have found a vacation rental in Montevarchi and are exploring this pretty Tuscan city, be sure to drop by and admire this rather special building.
Angiolo Masini was one of the co-founders of the hat company, “La Familiare,” back when Montevarchi was an industrial town especially famous for the production of felt hats that were being sold all over the world. He built Villa Masini for his second wife, Vincenzina Ghini, who, sadly, never got to see the masterpiece in its entirety. Masini was heartbroken after Vincenzina’s death and while she had motivated its beginnings he ended up dedicating the building officially to his life’s work and family’s business success, with the mosaic floor of the entrance reading, “In labore vita”, a Latin motto meaning, “In work, life”.
A real treat for the eyes, the house was chosen as the filming site of another love story, Roberto Benigni’s Oscar-winning "La Vita è Bella", with the master bedroom and conservatory featured in the movie. It is easy to see why it captured Benigni’s imagination, with its elaborate plasterwork, wrought iron, the Ulisse De Matteis of Florence stained glass, pretty gardens, the famously lovely conservatory, and Alfredo Fini’s stunning engravings and sculptural work on the façade loggia - to mention just a few of its many abundant charms.
The house has remained privately owned since its construction although, in 1943, the garage was used as a dwelling for displaced persons. Then, between January and July 1944, during WWII, the villa became the centre for the German Military Command in the city and later became a temporary military hospital for American troops. It was finally returned to the owners in 1945 and continues to be a family home to this day. However, never fear, that doesn’t mean that it is closed to the public! Each spring, the owners open up the villa to the public and offer guided tours so that you can admire all of the rich details of the building up close and so that you can wander around the incredible rooms and pretty gardens. In addition, the villa is often used as a venue for both private and public events, from elaborate dinners to intimate concerts, which take place, largely, amongst the statuary and lush planting and in front of that pretty conservatory in the gardens.
So, should you happen to find yourself in this pretty part of Tuscany and looking for an architectural gem with a great story to explore or, if you can manage to time it just right, a concert to attend in a magical setting, then consider paying a visit to the exceptionally lovely Villa Masini in Montevarchi. Hidden away and off the beaten tourist track as it is, it is the kind of special surprise that one stumbles upon and makes a whole vacation just that much more memorable and extraordinary.
Photo credit: Emiliano Burzagli / CC BY-SA 3.0