THE STORY

The Villa boasts a long and fascinating history dating back to the early 19th century when it was acquired by Cesare Studiati following his marriage to Giuseppina Agostini Venerosi della Seta, daughter of Count Cosimo and Laura Ruschi, in August 1860.

The Agostini family recalls how the villa was originally built lower down inside the Corliano estate, but Cesare Studiati wanted to dismantle it to rebuild it higher up, thus allowing his wife, Giuseppina Agostini, to be able to see the islands.

Cesare Studiati was the most illustrious of the owners. The son of Pietro Studiati, he graduated in philosophy and medicine from the University of Pisa on June 16, 1840, and the following year he also obtained a degree in surgery. In October 1843, he was appointed dissector by Paolo Savi. As a deputy to the Tuscan Constituent Assembly, he declined to participate in the Italian one to avoid interrupting his studies, also refusing the honorary position of Gonfaloniere of Pisa, offered by Ricasoli. He nonetheless took an active part in politics as a municipal and provincial councillor, and for 35 years served as president of the Cassa di Risparmio di Pisa (Savings Bank of Pisa). An important encounter was with Baron Bettino Ricasoli, with whom he began a scientific and oenological partnership, confirmed by a rich correspondence spanning from 1859 to 1876 in search of the ‘perfect wine’. The two aimed to eliminate a certain ‘harshness’ and ‘roughness’ that the wines acquired during the aging process, in comparison to the ‘refinement’ of the already established French wines in the international market.

In 1872, Chianti was born, after more than thirty years of research and experimentation. Baron Bettino Ricasoli established its formula in a famous letter addressed to Prof. Cesare Studiati, which envisaged 70% Sangiovese red grapes and the remaining 30% divided between Canaiolo and white Malvasia grapes. In 1920, the Villa was sold to Carlo Tabet (a friend of architect Pietro Studiati – son of Cesare), who sold it just 1 year later to Carla Ciompi, wife of Carlo Ciompi, the podestà (mayor) of San Giuliano Terme during the years of fascism, as reported by the newspaper ‘Il Ponte di Pisa’ in 1933 and 1931. In 1936, Villa Alta became the property of Donna Teresa Orlando, daughter of Rosolino Orlando, an Italian entrepreneur, philanthropist, and politician, belonging to the third generation of the Orlando family of shipowners. He was one of the protagonists of Livorno’s life at the beginning of the 20th century, also as a promoter of important initiatives aimed at the improvement of the city, of which he was also the mayor. During fascism, this residence became a strategic location due to its favorable position for controlling the territory. In 1947, it was purchased by Cilene Ida Mugnaini, who had all the rooms painted yellow, covering their valuable frescoes. Her bust is located in the Italian garden of the villa. In 1992, Armando Cecchetti bought it from the former coach of Genova Scoglio. He had it renovated, bringing to light and restoring much of the original splendor of the frescoes such as the “Paradiso room,” the “Angels’ room,” and the “Music room.