Villa di Poggio Imperiale

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Villa di Poggio Imperiale is a splendid 18th century ducal Villa to the south of the Firenze in Tuscany.

Designed circa 1770 in an evolution of several classical styles, the principal facade is severe and plain. The only attempt at ornament being the five bayed projecting central block. This block has a rusticated ground floor pierced by five arches leading to the inner courtyard. On the first floor is a glazed loggia also of five bays. This block of only two floors crowned by a low pediment is flanked by two symmetrical wings of even greater severity. Each of two floors with a low mezzanine above they are the same height as the central pedimented block.

The Villa was originally the property of the Grand Dukes of Tuscany. At the end of the 18th century Grand Duke Ferdinand III leased the villa to King Charles Emanuel IV of Sardinia. Charles Emanuel lived here for just a month from 17 January 1799. In 1865 the mansion was transformed to become a girls school, known as the "Collegio della Santissima Annunziata", now known as "L'Istituto Statale della Ss. Annunziata". Only the reception rooms with historical frescoes by Matteo Rosselli and others are open to the public. The chapel is frescoed by Francesco Curradi.

[edit] History of the Ss. Annunziata Boarding School

It was the first female boarding school in Florence, started for the daughters of Marquis Gino Capponi, then widowed owner of Poggio Imperiale. The Institute was born in 1823, to educate aristocratic, and noble girls, thanks to the Granduchi Maria Anna Carolina di Sassonia and Leopold II, (inaugurated in 1825). The original building was in via della Scala, Florence. It was transferred in 1865 to the Medici Villa del Poggio Imperiale, overlooking Florence where it is still today. It has a Brother School in Prato, Collegio Cicognini where individuals such as Curzio Malaparte and D'Annunzio attended.

The school is subdivided into a mixed Elementary, Middle, and Upper School. The Elementary school is an Italo-Deustch school, teaching children in Italian, German and English. The Middle school teaches children predominantly in Italian and English, with the introduction of Latin and the option of Ancient Greek. The Upper School which is five years, is subdivided into Scientific, Linguistic, and European Classic schools. Students start at 14 and are expected to finish at 19 years. The Linguists, focused on German, Italian and English as well as the core subjects. The Scientific, focuses more on the sciences; Biology, Physics, Chemistry, Geology, Philosophy, History. The European Classic, focuses more into Law, Economics, Italian, German, Ancient Greek and Latin. The boarding is still private but follows the more demanding state curriculum. Boarding is reserved for only for approximately 80 girls, as rooms are limited within the Medici house. Girls come predominantly from all over Italy but nevertheless, there are few international students. Girls are called "Poggioline".