The Cafaggiolo Castle, Villa Medicea in Italy

The Cafaggiolo Castle also known as Villa Medicea di Cafaggiolo or Castello Mediceo di Cafaggiolo is a medieval castle located north of Florence, in the Mugello in Tuscany, Italy. The original castle was built in the 14th century as a fortress and by 1359 was already known as Cafaggiolo de' Medici. The fortress passed to the Medici family as an inheritance in 1443 and in 1452 Cosimo de' Medici also known as Cosimo the Elder asked the famous architect Michellozzo di Bartolomeo to transform the fortress in to a residential home. After Cosimo's death was the Cafaggiolo Castle used as a hunting lodge but in 1469 it became the favourite residence of Lorenzo de' Medici (il Magnifico). In 1485 the Cafaggiolo Castle passed to the younger branch of the Medici family who established a manufacture of maiolica in the castle.



In the Cagaggiolo Castle spent part of his childhood also Giovanni di Lorenzo de' Medici later Pope Leo X who visited the castle in 1515. After the death of the last Medici ruler of Tuscany, Gian Gastone de' Medici in 1737 the Cafaggiolo Castle passed to Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor and the House of Habsburg-Lorraine which was founded by Francis I. In the 1864 the Italian government sold it to the Borghese family which carried out some modifications and altering much of the Michelozzo's design.

The Cafaggiolo Castle is in private possession today but it is open to the public and it serves also for various cultural events, meetings, conventions and fashion parades.