Top of the World
In the heart of the Maremma Park, on a hill overlooking the small town of Alberese stands the Villa Granducale, a majestic fifteenth-century building characterized by classic Renaissance forms. It looks like an imposing three-storey building, with two side terraces of different sizes, located on the first floor. The complex, built at the behest of the Prior of the Order of the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem at the decline of the Abbey of Santa Maria in Alborensis (now San Rabano), was originally the headquarters of the same Order. Over the centuries it has undergone many changes: it was enriched, in the late sixteenth century, the small chapel of St. Anthony Abbot and, once in possession of the Grand Dukes of Tuscany, was transformed into the Grand Ducal Farm, incorporating the church in the walls of the complex. In the early nineties it underwent extensive restoration work during which some rooms on the ground floor were restored, including the Hunting Room, since 1999 the seat of representation of the Tuscany Region. The rest of the structure has been transformed into a farmhouse and belongs to the Regional Farm Alberese: most of the environments, therefore, is accessible only to guests of the accommodation, including the gardens. The only part open to the public is the small chapel of Sant'Antonio Abate, which is accessible only during the Palm Sunday service.
