Villa Strozzi

It was specially built and donated in 1903 as a wedding gift from Marquis Massimiliano Strozzi to his future wife, Signora Guendalina, of English origins. The Marchioness, who became a widow in 1915, stayed there during the summer season until the end of the 1950s; many still remember how the noblewoman loved to surround herself with the children of the village; in exchange for an elegant hand kiss she gave them tips of one penny. In a photo of the Marchesa, portrayed in front of the villa, you can read these handwritten words: “All ephemeral. All transient. Only the Creator cloaks our soul with infinite sweetness……. The farewell of the Past………Abetone 1903-1953” - Guendalina Strozzi - Below the photo are these brief historical notes: “In 1901 the Marquis Massimiliano (deceased in 1915) and the Marchesa Guendalina Strozzi, who came up here when it was all love and solitude of the forest, taken by the beauty of the place, immediately conceived and created this Refuge of Peace in silence, enlivened only by the passage of the postal carriage with its white horse from Pracchia (being able to accommodate, if anything, a single hypothetical traveler). In this “villa”, transformed into a hotel, the Hotel Bellavista is now located. Via Brennero (formerly Via Giardini), 383 51021 Abetone