info@villaaurora.it +39-055-412014 Villa Aurora is only 20 minutes by streetcar from Florence SMN station and 25 minutes by car, cab or shuttle bus from the center or Florence airport. It will be easy to reach as soon as you arrive in Florence.
By streetcar GEST Line T1 Leonardo:
Exit SMN station side via Alamanni, at the end of the staircase, streetcar T1 Leonardo, direction Careggi-Ospedale, get off at the end of the line Careggi-Ospedale . The stop is in front of the entrance to Careggi Hospital. Continue to the traffic circle and CTO Hospital following the “Villa Aurora” road signs. We are located about 150 m from the streetcar terminus.
Ticket cost is €1.50/90 minutes; travel time: about 20 minutes; frequency: every 6-12 minutes depending on time slot.
For information on these lines and other routes consult directly:
Find your way with Google Maps
Cab stop in the station square, average cost €15; travel time: about 10 minutes.
From the main highways in Florence:
From the A1 highway, exit at Firenze Nord, continue in the direction of Firenze centro and then follow the signs for the Careggi hospital area.
From the A11-Firenze Mare highway, reach the Firenze Ovest barrier and then follow the signs for centro and then Careggi hospital area.
By streetcar GEST Line T2 Vespucci you can reach Firenze SMN station; get off at “Alamanni – SMN Station” and wait on the same platform for streetcar T1 Leonardo, direction Careggi-Ospedale, and finally get off at the terminus Careggi-Ospedale. The ticket cost is €1.50/90 minutes sufficient for the entire route; total travel time: about 45 minutes; frequency: every 6-12 minutes depending on the time slot. Information on these lines and other routes can be found directly on the ATAF and Gestramvia websites.
With the Shuttle Bus “Fly by Bus” you can reach Florence SMN station with a fare of €4.50 per person. The frequency of the shuttle is synchronized with flights arriving/departing from theairport. At the Firenze SMN station you can take the tramway to the “Alamanni – SMN Station” stop, direction Careggi-Ospedale(see above).
Cab fares from the airport are about €15.00 to €20.00. The travel time during peak hours is about 20 minutes.
For more information:
ViIla Aurora is one of the largest of the stately villas picturesquely clustered on the hills of Pergole and Poggio Secco. Neither the year of construction nor the name of its first owner is known. However, it is known that at the end of the 14th century it was owned by the Macinghi, a noble Florentine family. Francesco Macinghi, having inherited the villa and farms from his father Matteo, sold it on July 15, 1416 to Jacopo son of Anichino di Riccardo, a merchant of Iana and salt, in exchange for two houses near the Canto delle Macine. The Riccardi, who acquired wealth and nobility through the exercise of trade, perhaps partially modified the primitive building and placed rich furnishings there. They always held this ancient possession of theirs very dear. In fact, the villa, having passed in 1527 as dowry to Dianora Riccardi, wife of Tommaso Marchi, was bought back by Gabriella Riccardi in 1558. The mansion, in time, became a sumptuous princely residence. During the eighteenth century it was leased out for various periods. The villa belonged to the Riccardi family until 1794. On September 25 of that year villa and estates were sold along with other assets to Guglielmo Libri but due to the latter’s delinquency they returned to the hands of the administrators of the estate. From 1800 to 1850 the entire property belonged to Mr. and Mrs. Leon Vita. 1850 to 1875 to the Bartolommei family. From 1875 to 1901 to the German Schmitz family. Charles Schmitz was a botany enthusiast and embellished the park with numerous exotic plants. August 31, 1878 passed to his grandson Felice. The Schmitz may be credited with the idea of naming the Riccardi villa in Careggi “Aurora.” In 1898 following the earthquake, the tower of the small building collapsed. Restoration work had been done in the previous decade (painting of facades) . In 1901 the property was divided into two parts, the smaller of which (3 hectares) was bought by Mr. and Mrs. Mochi, and the larger one, including the villa, of 20 hectares was sold to Mr. Giuliano Caccia, who embellished it greatly. From him it passed in succession to his English-born wife Margaret Maquay, who, in turn, sold it […] iI February 6, 1947 to the Adventist Mission. After the purchase, the small building was partially demolished to construct a new one to be used as a boys’ boarding school while the large mansion remained unchanged. The park, especially in some periods, was very well cared for. From 1980 to 1983, the facades and roof of the villa were restored, thus returning it to its former glory […].
