The Grand Dukes Make Their Return to Villa La Quiete

Grand Dukes Peter Leopold of Habsburg-Lorraine and Marie-Louise of Bourbon-Spain return to Villa La Quiete, a residence bearing witness to Medici history on the hill of Castello, owned by the Region of Tuscany, whose artistic heritage is enhanced by the Florentine University Museum System.

The portraits of the Grand Dukes, which date back to the end of the 18th century - stolen in 1990 and recovered thanks to the action of the Carabinieri of the Cultural Heritage Protection Unit in Florence - are once again on display for a month, after careful restoration, in their original setting, the so-called Coffee Room, where the Grand Dukes stayed after lunch during their visits to the Montalve, a congregation dedicated to the education of young noblewomen.

The two paintings, by the Florentine painter Diomira Franchi, an honorary member of the Accademia del Disegno and artist to the Lorraine family, enrich the history of Villa La Quiete, a residence that boasts connections with notable Medici figures such as Christine of Lorraine, Vittoria della Rovere and Anna Maria Luisa Elettrice Palatina.

The newly unveiled exhibition, featuring a plaster bust of Peter Leopold and drawings associated with the expansion of the educational institute commissioned by the Grand Duke himself, was introduced at the event 'The Grand Dukes and the Coffee Room'. Greetings were extended by Eugenio Giani, President of the Region of Tuscany, Alessandra Petrucci, the Rector, and David Caramelli, President of the Florentine University Museum System (SMA).The speakers included Lucilla Conigliello, the SMA technical director; Anna Floridia, an official from the Soprintendenza per le Belle Arti e Paesaggio of Florence, Pistoia and Prato; Donatella Pegazzano, an art historian and member of the SMA Scientific Council; and Raffaele Niccoli Vallesi, a representative from Villa La Quiete.

We are particularly grateful to the Carabinieri – as the Rector Alessandra Petrucci stated – for the recovery of these paintings, which once again are part of the extraordinary artistic heritage of the Villa, one of the gems of the Florentine University Museum System, revealing, time and again, new chapters of 'female' history, like that of the painter Diomira Franchi.

To honour the reintegration of these two paintings into the Villa's historical and artistic legacy, remarked SMA president David Caramelli, we have opted to restore them and display them in their original setting, albeit temporarily, accompanied by a comprehensive series of guided tours.

Visitors can appreciate the two portraits during a series of guided tours taking place from 14 December 2024 to 12 January 2025, every Saturday and Sunday, with two sessions available at 10.30 am and 11.30 am at Villa La Quiete, Via di Boldrone, 2 Florence. The tour, accommodating up to 25 guests without the need for reservations, includes a viewing of the 18th-century Nativity scene displayed within the church's Lower Choir during the Christmas season (Info: 055-2756444 - [email protected]).