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The Secrets of the River God: The Apennine Colossus of Florence, Italy
In central Italy, there was once a palatial villa that was home to many man-made marvels.
The Villa di Pratolino in Florence was built in the 1570s by Francesco de Medici, the Grand Duke of Tuscany. Francesco is thought to have built the villa for his famed Venetian mistress, Bianca Cappello.
It was the setting for their public marriage in 1581, and Duke spared no expense: the villa was designed to dazzle.
In its prime, the Villa di Pratolino was considered a shining example of a Mannerist garden. In the late Renaissance period, Mannerism art sought to express exaggerated, sophisticated elegance.
As symbols of wealth and fashion, Mannerist gardens were novel and dramatic, with opulent water features and marvels powered by hydraulics.
When Montaigne visited the vast gardens of Villa di Pratolino in 1580, which at the time were still unfinished, the French philosopher was awestruck by the complex array of water-powered wonders.
Montaigne described paths and staircases vaulted by jets of water, marble sculptures seemingly engaged in…
