Villa Mangiacane is more than a hotel, it is an informal luxurious
private home set amongst acres of vineyard, olive grove and majestic forest
where a few privileged guests can enjoy authentic Tuscan villa living,
savoring the ambience and the wines and olive oil produced by the estate - a
magnificent 16th century villa that bears the unmistakable hand of the
Renaisance master, Michelangelo.
History
Villa Mangiacane is a ‘noble and majestic’ villa set on a
beautiful hill above Sant’Andrea in Percussina, halfway between Florence and
San Casciano. Its name – which, in Italian means ‘the dog that eats’ or,
‘eat the dog’ – refers to the imposing stone dog sculptures that used to
guard the villa from atop its gate’s pillars.
It is said that even Michelangelo participated in designing the
Villa. The Villa was built by Cardinal Francesco Maria Machiavelli, uncle of
Niccolò Machiavelli, thanks to the substantial commissions given him by Pope
Urban VIII, who was Sold by the Machiavellis in 1645 to the aristocratic
family of the Marchesi Mazzei (who kept it until the mid-20th century),
Villa Mangiacane’s fortunes rose and fell over the course of the centuries.
Today it is happily living a revival with Glynn Cohen, a Southern-African
entrepreneur who fell in love with Tuscany’s culture and history.
“Seeing the Duomo’s dome framed by the arches of the Villa’s loggia won me
over from the first moment I saw it,” says Glynn Cohen. “This exceptional
Tuscan landscape which combines human artistry with nature’s beauty has
always fascinated me.”
Glynn Cohen bought Villa Mangiacane in 2000, when it was practically
in ruins, and he has brought it back to its former splendor. The idea has
been to produce fine modern wines in a setting that could offer ‘old-world’
hospitality to its guests.
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