On the hillsides of Fiesole and Settignano, overlooking Florence, beautiful villas and gardens recall their former American, British and European expatriate residents from the late 1800s and early 1900s. Attracted by Florence’s artistic treasures and the Renaissance ideal of villa life, these independent and talented women made their homes here. This volume belongs to the series Our Hillsides: Women Expatriates and Their Villas and Gardens one the Hills of Florence 1890-1950 which aims to revive and enrich their memories by recounting their stories.
Our understanding of Villa Gamberaia in the late 1800s and early 1900s largely revolves around two women: Romanian Princess Catherine Jeanne Ghyka, who bought the villa in 1896, and her companion, American artist Florence Blood, the focus of the second book in the series. Much of what we know comes from the writings of Mary and Bernard Berenson and other neighbors from Settignano, especially letters and diaries preserved in various archives. While these sources reflect the authors' interests and biases, they provide rare insights into the lives of the princess and Miss Blood, the artists and writers who visited the villa, and the allure of its gardens and landscape. For years, as Bernard Berenson noted, the Gamberaia remained a beacon in his life.
