|
Villa I Bossi was built in 1240 under the guidance
of Bico Albergotti, a direct ancestor of the current owner,
Francesco, who continues to live at the villa today with his
family.
The Albergotti family, of Germanic origins, arrived in Arezzo
in the year 870 with Otto I and played a fundamental role
in making Arezzo one of the most important cities in Etruria
by the year 1000.
The family consolidated its fortune until reaching its peak
around the year 1200, after having fought in the Crusades
and taking part in all of the most significant events tied
to the history of the city.
Archeological artifacts and original documents
kept in the family archives prove that there was a medieval
fort at Gragnone that was slowly modified and enlarged by
various ancestors through the 1700s becoming the villa we
find today.
The villa preserves much tangible evidence of its glorious
past - the portraits of Popes, who were guests of the family
at the villa, the masterpieces of various artists ranging
from Benedetto da Maiano to Della Robbia, the gallery of the
ancestors, the chapel built by Bishop Agostino Albergotti
to honor the Madonna del Conforto and countless other reminders
and memories of the numerous inhabitants and guests of the
villa over the centuries. These reminders are no longer the
patrimony of a select few, but have become the patrimony of
many in their representation of our collective historical
past.
Today the villa is open to everyone who wishes to immerse
him or herself in this unique atmosphere that has remained
intact through wars, celebrations, deaths and births, marriages
and disputes, passions and love.
Gragnone is always here, rising against the blue of the Tuscan
sky, never jealous of its secrets from the past.
|
