Villa I Tatti: Mary Berenson's "Golden Urn" Arcadia

Based on her voluminous manuscripts, the first book in the series reflects upon Mary Berenson's association with the hillsides below Fiesole and how, over a lifetime, she was instrumental in transforming the home she shared with her husband—art connoisseur, Bernard Berenson—from a rustic farmhouse into its current incarnation, The Harvard University Center for Italian Renaissance Studies. Providing glimpses of Mary's vibrant personality, the essay conveys a vision of the area as the Berensons once knew it and reveals interesting hillside connections both personal and historical. It further suggests that Mary's indomitable philosophy, what she called the "Golden Urn" principle, guided her vision for Villa I Tatti, a place whose unique atmosphere, as much as its inhabitants, drew artists, writers, and statesmen, as well as the affluent and fashionable from around the world.

By Tiffany L. Johnston
32 pages
Published by Centro Di, 2024
Paperback