Cosimo I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany
The Villa di Castello, near the hills bordering Florence, Tuscany, central Italy, was the country residence of Cosimo I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany (1519-1574). The gardens, filled with fountains, statuary, and a grotto, became famous throughout Europe. The villa also housed some of the great art treasures of Florence, including Sandro Botticelli's Renaissance masterpieces 'The Birth of Venus' and 'Primavera'. The gardens of the Villa had a profound influence upon the design of the Italian Renaissance garden and the later French formal garden.