Montelupo Fiorentino

La villa medicea dell'Ambrogiana

The Medici villa Ambrogiana dates back to 1587-89, when the Grand Duke Ferdinand I enlarged a building which had belonged to the Florentine family Ambrogi (hence the name).

The foundation of the villa is square, with towers in the four corners, identical and protruding on two sides like a small fortress and four main entrances. In the 19th century it had been converted into a prison for women and later a penal lunatic asylum (1888), today it houses the penitentiary psychiatric hospital.

S. Pietro di Alcantara
The Church of San Pietro di Alcantara which belonged to the convent of that name, was built in 1678 according to the will of Grand Duke Cosimo III. It was connected to the villa Ambrogiana by a corridor reserved for use by members of the court. The marble bust of the saint, the work of Francesco Carminghi, is on the façade. Inside there are two paintings by Luca Giordano, a wooden cross from the early 16th century and, in the sacristy, a Christ sculpted by Michelangelo Noccherino.