Villa I Busini bears its name from the noble knights or Cavalieri of Busini . Located in the county of Turicchi and Castiglioni, near the ancient castle of Castiglioni, the Renaissance estate was home to many noble families and a fief of the bishops of Fiesole, as documented in the 1103 papal bull of Pope Pasquale II.
Villa I Busini’s origin can be traced back to the 12th century. Historians suggest that the Torre de Ghibellini (Tower of the Ghibellines), where the Averardo Tower Suite is now situated, was built between 1138 and 1254 as part of a network of watchtowers that spanned Europe from southern Germany to Sicily during the Staufer Dynasty, or Hohenstaufen. The tower was also cited during the conflicts between Fiesole Bishopric and the Republic of Florence in the 13th century.
15th, 16th & 17th Century
In 1423, documentation confirms that Tommaso di Francesco Busini bought the Villa of Santo Stefano in Castiglioni. Successful Florentine bankers, the noble Busini family renamed the Villa to its current namesake, and kept the Villa in the family for nearly three centuries.
In 1656 Pantaleoni Filippo Busini, inherited Villa Busini from his father, Leonardo and, being an abbot, bequeathed everything to his sister Maria Busini, whose first husband was Girolamo Andreini. After the death of Girolamo, Maria went on to marry the Duca (Duke) di Carpignano and become Maria Busini Ghezzi, Duchessa di Carpignano.
18th &19th centuries
In 1719, following the death of Duchessa Maria Busini, Villa I Busini was inherited by her son from her first marriage, Barone Pietro Andrea Andreini. The Andreini heirs owned the Villa until 1755, when the Baroness Caterina, daughter of Pietro Andrea Andreini, died childless.
Villa I Busini then fell into the hands of Francesco and Pietro Paolo dei Medici. In 1776 Averardo dei Medici, son of Pietro Paolo, became the owner and his only heir was his daughter, Anna Maria Luigia.
Anna Maria Luigia married Bindo Peruzzi in 1783 and their son, Giovanni Battista, would become the owner in 1832. In 1846, Giovanni bequeathed the Villa to his sons, Ridolfo and Simone.
20th & 21st centuries
Following Bindo de Medici’s death in 1907, his brother, Ridolfo and wife, Marchessa Adriana Brisighella Zenom, gained full ownership of Villa I Busini, along with several other properties in the village.
28 years later, in 1935, they sold the Villa and the other properties to the Cavaliere di Gran Croce, Dottore Aurelio Niccolodi.
In 2011, Villa I Busini and its surrounding land was purchased by the current owner and has since been respectfully renovated and beautifully restored to reflect its spectacular history and authentic Renaissance glory.
2023 marks the 600 year anniversary of Villa I Busini.
