Tuscany, Florence, Florence, Italy

Built in the original XIVth century Tuscan style by the Davanzati family, Villa Braggiotti is one of the most spectacular Florentine mansions, a one-of-a-kind townhome in the northern part of the city, the Montughi neighbourhood, at 10 minutes' drive from the train station and 20 to the airport.
The mansion recently belonged to the Braggiotti's, an eccentric family of 2 opera singers and their 8 children, all of them sharing a passion for music and arts. During the 20's of last century, the Braggiotti's hosted prominent members of the Futurist movement and arts critics such as Sir Harold Acton, making their villa a permanent intellectual salon first, and a dancing school later, hosted in the dramatic vaulted 130 sqm stucco-decorated hall with open gallery, fully enlightened by a Liberty-style skylight.
Encompassing a 700sqm ground floor with beautifully bedecked formal entertaining rooms and a number of other rooms, a 610 sqm first floor, plus a 327 sqm basement with wine cellar, the villa sits on a landscaped, park-like one-hectare garden with a large loggia. From the main road, the approach is formidable: a drive past a caretaker's house at the gate leads to the villa. Boasting a total of 1.600 smq plus a tower suite, the mansion has classic proportions and scale with splendid decorated coffered ceilings. An ingenious layout includes outdoor sitting areas, many fireplaces, laundry and staff rooms, wine cellar, separate lower level entrance and ample storage rooms. The second floor - served by an elevator and in need of renovation - offers the potential for creating up to 12 bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms; there's also a stunning tower-floor master suite with an upper terrace from which one can enjoy the beautiful view.
This rare opportunity is not to be missed.