Dianella: Past and Present
The Medici Villa of Dianella dates back to the late 16th century and was used by the Medici as a hunting lodge. Its name, Dianella, is a reference to Diana, the goddess of the hunt.
I heard: ‘the little prince of Bimbettino
Goes to study in Dianella’s cypress woods
Like a goldfinch would sing there.
Goes to study in Dianella’s cypress woods
Like a goldfinch would sing there.
Renato Fucini, “Li Studi di Neri” – Sonnet LXXXIII
The hamlet of Dianella consists of a few houses, a small church—“S. Michaelis de Aliana,” dating back to 1200—and the villa itself, built at the end of the 1500s. In the 1700s, it passed into the hands of the Federighi marquises, and later to the Fucini family. The poet Renato Fucini composed many of his works here and often referenced the villa in his sonnets. He also dedicated a short story to it titled “A Dianella” from his collection “Leaves in the Wind.” In the early 1900s, the property was acquired by the Billeri family and then by the Conti Passerin d’Entrèves e Courmayeur.
Francesco and Veronica Passerin d’Entrèves personally oversaw the restoration of Dianella, creating an elegant and refined atmosphere where the warmth and hospitality that have always defined this place can still be felt.
