A magnificent villa transformed for modern luxury lifestyles

A unique Liberty-style building, perfectly set in Florence, and surrounded by a secular botanical park. We are right at the outskirts of Tuscany’s capital city, away from traffic, in a peaceful and quiet setting, yet close to the city’s amenities. Behind this historic, early 20th century building, lie the gentle hills that lead to the romantic and picturesque Fiesole, along the thoroughfare where the most exclusive houses of the Florentine bourgeoisie were built throughout the centuries. Here, “Il Salviatino” is exclusively located, surrounded by villas and parks along the banks of the river Affrico, Once a private clinic dedicated to infancy and maternity for the wealthy, it has now been restored with a sumptuous beauty beyond its original state.
The restoration project, directed by Architect Paolo Portoghesi, one of the greatest experts on Palladian architecture in Italy, transformed the prestigious complex into a luxurious residential building. The conservative restoration involved all structural and artistic elements of the building including the botanical park. Under the Superintendence of Fine Arts of Florence, the park has been revived to its regal splendour. The project included every possible modern convenience, including the construction of an underground parking directly connected to the building, and new living spaces created for today’s lifestyle.

The aim

Convert a spectacular building and location to provide a variety of exclusive residential options, each including a double garage.

History of the building

The first cornerstone of the Salviatino Institute was laid May 21 1908 and was completed after 18 months. The Institute needed a location to serve its demanding clientele: beautiful views of Florence, healthy air from the surrounding hills, yet close to the city. The decision fell on a plot of about 20mila square meters: in the countryside on a gentle slope along the road that leads from Florence to the hills of Fiesole, just three km. from Santa Maria Novella, in the heart of the city.  The original villa was designed and built with the vast botanical garden, perfectly laid out for leisure and relaxation. While the large park surrounding the villa will be subject to periodic changes in the course of the twentieth century, the main building did not undergo significant restructuring, and maintained the intended use for health care to the most recent years. Precisely in this building were shot some scenes of the famous film "Amici miei" (1975).

Type of intervention

The conservative restoration recovered the artistic and architectural interiors and exteriors and the structure was consolidated. Both the vertical and horizontal interiors of the building were completely redefined to provide modern technologies. The botanical garden adjacent to the villa was the subject of a conservative restoration. Finally, the underground car park was built adjacent to the palace.

The park

“Il Salviatino”, the historical landmark park, which covers an area of 10,000 m2, is in the care of the Superintendence of Fine Arts of Florence since it is recognized as being a cultural heritage. The oldest section, which dates back to the first years of the twentieth century, has been restored to its original landscape style with exotic plants, small paths and flowerbeds.

Designer

Paolo Portoghesi, one of the leading figures in contemporary Italian architecture, was born in 1931 in Rome, where he graduated in his field in 1957. He has been a lecturer in Italian literature and in the history of architecture. Since 1995 he has been teaching architectural design at the University of Rome. He has always worked contemporaneously in the theoretical field, in historic research, and as a free-lance architect, always focused on readapting historic memory within the traditions of modern architecture.
He is the winner of numerous international awards and the author of more than 50 books on Renaissance and Baroque Architecture. Amongst his most famous works are the Roman Mosque and the Islamic Cultural Centre, the Quartiere Rinascimento in Parco Talenti in Rome, and the Shanghai Tower project.