Welcome Reception: March 6 – Palazzo Vecchio

Palazzo della Signoria, or Palazzo Vecchio, as it appears today, is the result of at least three successive building stages between the 13th-16th centuries: the actual construction of Arnolfo's palace, overlooking the VTXDUH and placed next to the Loggia dei Lanzi; the first alterations in Republican times, and the later restructuration carried out by Vasari, after the coming to power of Cosimo I de' Medici, who moved into the palace with all his family. Palazzo Vecchio's exclusive role as the political representative of the city gradually lost importance from 1565 for three centuries, being partly replaced by the Uffizi and the new Palace at Pitti, though it came to the fore again at the end of this last century: after the Lorraine family had been expelled from the city in 1848, it became the seat of United Italy's provisional government from 1865-71, when Florence was the capital of the kingdom of Italy, and housed the Chamber of Deputies (the Senate sat next door in the Uffizi, linked up by an overhead passageway above Via della Ninna). It was to return to its original function as the seat of the City Council in 1872. Although the palace today contains the offices of the City Council, much of it can still be visited. The public can admire the Hall of the Five Hundred, the little Study of Francesco I and the four monumental appartments: the Quarters of the Elements, the Quarters of Eleonora of Toledo, the Residence of the Priors and the Quarters of Leo X, where the reception rooms of the mayor and the council that governs the city are situated today. The Hall of the Two Hundred is once more being used for the meetings of the City Council and therefore not always open to the public.

Conference Dinner: March 7 – Palazzo Corsini

Maria Maddalena Macchiavelli, wife of Marchese Filippo Corsini, purchased the Palace from the Grand Duke Ferdinando II de' Medici in 1649. Originally, the Palace which was a "Casino" (a little house surrounded by a large garden that extended itself to the banks of the Arno River today known as Lungarno Corsini), belonged to the Ardinghelli family. It was then bought by the Medici and finally by its current owners. The Corsini family residence is a late baroque structure as we can see from the roofs decorated with statues and terracotta vases, - a novelty in Renaissance Florence, - and from the "U" shaped courtyard opened towards the river bank. The Palace was conceived in its present form by Bartolomeo Corsini (1622-1685) son of Filippo and Maria Maddalena Macchiavelli; it was his own son Filippo (1647-1705), who then expanded the portion of the building that extends towards Ponte S. Trinita. The building works on the Palace lasted 50 years without a break. The decorations that were created between 1692 and 1700 reveal one of the finest moments in the history of Florentine painting. Important artists were called by the Corsini family to decorate the elegant apartments on the first floor where the Galleria Aurora, the Salone, the Sala da Ballo and other important reception rooms are located. The most famous artists were Anton Domenico Gabbiani, Alessandro Gherardini and Pier Dandini.

Farewell Evening: March 9 –Villa la Ferdinanda – Artimino

Villa “La Ferdinanda” is located about half an hour drive from the center of Florence. To the north of Artimino we find the village of Carmignano, to the south the river Arno, the city of Florence lies to the east, and to the west Montalbano. The vineyards are set up on the hills looking south; at present they cover an area of 120 hectares. Archaeological excavations have revealed the existence of a viticulture center since the days of the Etruscans. In the XVI century Cosimo I, Granduke of Tuscany, bought these hills, which thus became part of the Medici patrimony. Ferdinando I de Medici, son of Cosimo, was so taken by the beauty of Artimino that immediately ordered Buontalenti (in 1587) to build a Villa there. It had to offer an abundance of all those delights which a great personality could desire on holidays. Buontalenti has worked so hard and well that the Granduke and all his court moved in as early as 1594. Through the ages the Villa has been called "The Villa of a hundred chimneys” and today it belongs to the farm of Artimino. On the ground floor of the villa there are the cellars of representation of the Fattoria di Artimino dedicated to Granduke Ferdinando I. They house the historical archives of the wine from 1870. There are also 4 big rooms and a wonderful garden with a breathtaking view of the surrounding countryside.