Villa Strozzi Orangery

The Limonaia of Villa Strozzi is a Florence venue for performances and exhibitions, one of the buildings beside the villa complex restored in the second half of the 19th century by Giuseppe Poggi. The group includes the villa, stables and lemon house. These buildings stood within the old winter garden at Via Pisana 77, in the hilly Oltrarno area on the edge of the historic centre. In 1973 Florence’s city council decided to turn it into a multipurpose space for contemporary art. A competition invited seven architects of differing backgrounds and experience, including Giovanni Michelucci. The Limonaia’s refurbishment was completed and inaugurated in summer 1998. Since then it has become a popular summer venue and a setting for cultural events. The rectangular, single-storey building has three sides articulated by Serlian openings that give it a Neoclassical appearance. A small water basin also runs along three sides, almost like a moat, crossed by walkways at the openings. This device creates a sense of separation. Inside is one large rectangular room with terracotta floors and plastered walls, while the wall surfaces also alternate iron, concrete and glass.