This 16th-century residence on the Pincio hill was built for Cardinal Giovanni Ricci da
Montepulciano between 1564 and 1575, transforming a pre-existing building into a panoramic
architectural complex. Cardinal Ferdinando de’ Medici later embellished the villa and
commissioned a study inside one of the Aurelian Wall towers, decorated with extraordinary
frescoes. A scenic garden was laid out around the villa. In 1803, Napoleon transferred the French
Academy to Villa Medici, which still occupies the residence today.
