Castello di Sammezzano: Renaissance of Orientalist Gardens Begins June 2026

The Castello di Sammezzano, a 19th-century Moorish Revival castle near Florence, is set for a major restoration led by architect Tommaso del Buono. The first phase, starting June 2026, focuses on rehabilitating its 160-hectare monumental park. The project is coordinated by Maximilian Francis Fane, whose family runs the UK landscaping firm Nature Group. The castle, built by Marquis Ferdinando Panciatichi Ximenes d'Aragona from 1853 to 1889, features over sixty rooms with intricate stucco, ceramics, and polychrome brickwork. It was a luxury hotel and film set after WWII but fell into disrepair. In 2015, it was placed on Italia Nostra's Red List and Europa Nostra's most threatened sites. In 2016, it topped the FAI's 'I Luoghi del Cuore' census with over 50,000 votes. In 2025, entrepreneur Giorgio Moretti purchased the property, planning a €50 million restoration. The garden design blends Mediterranean plants with English cottage garden aesthetics, inspired by the Panciatichi family's botanical legacy.