FATTORIA IL PALAGIO is situated on the outskirts of the beautiful village of Scarperia, next to VILLA IL PALAGIO. Both buildings were once part of the same estate, set in extensive parkland

Over the centuries, il Palagio has seen many historical figures pass through its doors, including nobility, royalty and popes. This is because Scarperia was on the main road that connected Florence to the North of Italy up until the 18th Century

In the 1700s, Cardinal Borromeo and Violante Beatrice, wife of Ferdinand De' Medici stayed here. In 1708, Fredrick IV stayed here and a plaque commemorating his visit hangs on the outside wall; James Stuart, the King of England, Francesco De' Medici with his wife Eleonora Gonzaga, Augusto II King of Poland, Carlo Massimiliano King of Baviera, Anna De' Medici, daughter of Cosimo III, Francesco I D'Este, the Duke of Modena with his wife Charlotte D'Orleans, Don Carlos, Infante of Spain and Francesco III of Lorena with his wife Maria Teresa, Empress of Austria also visited

Later, in 1811, Paolina Bonaparte and her husband Camillo Borghese were guests at the villa and in 1878 King Umberto I also stayed here. One of the most infamous guests in the history of the villa is Benito Mussolini, who stayed here whilst on a military exercise in 1934

More about Fredrick IV of Denmark (in italian)