Rather few would expect an Indo-Mauritian palace in the middle of Tuscany. Which makes it all the more surprising that the incredibly ornate Castello di Sammezzano has been deteriorating for so many years. Remarkably, the palace is the life’s work of a man who never travelled outside Europe, and all his knowledge of the Orient came from books. Passionate about Orientalism, he spent more than 46 years working out the successive details of his residence, which is why you can admire the perfect arrangement of colours, arabesques or mucarnas in the abandoned palace.
The Orient without leaving home
European Orientalism began as early as the second half of the 18th century, and interest in Arabs, Indians or Maghreb peoples grew with the colonial expansion of the Old Continent. Some saw in Orientalism a pleasing aesthetic of what they believed to be ‘inferior’ cultures, while others read into the few studies of Oriental art, philosophy, science or architecture. The Marquis Ferdinando Panciatichi Ximenes definitely belonged to the latter. Born into a wealthy Florentine family, Ferdinando spent hours studying Oriental architecture, as well as botany and engineering.
It is worth noting that the Sammezzano palace had existed since the early 17th century, but some buildings still existed on the site in Roman times. When Ximenes inherited the palace, the great reconstruction began, which at first was carried out in a neo-Gothic spirit. The reference to medieval designs is in itself already a manifestation of the romantic vision of the 19th century, but nothing captures the mood of the period so well as the oriental decorations. Ximenes’ first great inspiration was the work of a French artist who created vases decorated with Arabic ornaments.
In turn, books by the British architect Owen Jones gave the Italian an insight into the mysterious world of oriental architecture. Xiemens was particularly impressed by the sight of the Alhambra pavilion located in the iconic Crystal Palace, which you can read about HERE. It was London and Paris, as the two capitals of the colonial powers, that became the main centres of oriental fascination. By the way, the books written by Owen Jones were key inspirations for architects and artists such as Frank Lloyd Wright and William Morris.
Another fairly obvious model for a palace was the buildings of Arab-controlled Granada. The ornate and eclectic Mudejar style became the hallmark of southern Spain, and even after the Reconquista the Christians used this oriental style. Although Ferdinando Ximenes had never been to Spain, the bookish depiction of the Alhambra fortress and other Moorish buildings inspired him to create his dream residence.
Palace of the Great Mogul
The palace sits on a hill, and the huge park surrounding the residence is overgrown with lush vegetation. Across the stately façade are arabesque ornaments that connect to form a chain, surrounding the windows. Geometric patterns typical of Moroccan art decorate the walls, and the most interesting element of the façade is its risalit. The projecting tower is preceded by a winding staircase leading to a hidden entrance. The ejwan, or ornate arched entrance looks a bit like an element of the famous Red Fortress in Delhi or other buildings affected by Islamic influence. Also reminiscent of India are the round turrets and the feather-shaped blanks typical of that region. The entrance is also guarded by a large clock with, ironically, Roman numerals.
A true treasure of oriental design awaits inside. The interior is a thoughtful combination of neo-Gothic framework with varied Oriental decoration. The white rotunda that is the focal point of the residence impresses with ornaments familiar from Mogul India. The combination of Islamic mukarnas and Indian serrated arches makes the room look as if it has been directly extracted from the palaces of Agra. Interestingly, the Mogul (Islamic rulers of India) mosaics are heavily inspired by the Florentine pietra dura, a technique of ornately arranging precious stones. The Sammezzano palace features just such a mosaic, ‘exotic’ to Tuscany.
The Hall of Stars is dominated by a similar Mogul décor, but sections of the walls are decorated with coloured glass embedded in white stucco. Placing coloured glass directly into the wall seems an unusual procedure, but there is a method behind this decision. Ximenes understood the physics of light well, and the reds, greens and blues were intended to create a phenomenal harmony of coloured light with the right glare from the sun. It is still worth noting the spectacular vault decorated with mucarnas resembling a large flower.
Luminous genius
Other rooms are flooded with the three colours mentioned above. Many rooms feature floral arabesques and colourful accumulations alluding to different regions of the Islamic world. One of the most interesting rooms is the lily room or column room. Its colourful columns connected by horseshoe arches are reminiscent of a hypostyle (open column hall) native to Cordoba. Another important association may also be the Moroccan royal palace. The openwork decorations combined with such a strong accumulation of shapes and colours create a mesmerising effect.
The most impressive room of the residence is the former dining room known as the peacock chamber. The owner made use of the most magnificent Gothic vault, the fan vault, and decorated it with an amazing palette of colours. As with the coloured glass, the colours arranged on specific folds of the fan correspond to a seven-step colour spectrum. The effect of this composition is downright psychedelic, with the vault meeting at a point where the keystone is a Muslim eight-pointed star.
Hermit
It is still worth noting the various sentences scattered throughout the palace. Often scrolling through is the inscription ‘Non plus ultra’ which is a Latin phrase meaning the pinnacle of perfection. Quotes from Italian poetry also appear on the walls, evidence of the owner’s romantic soul. In truth, romanticism led Xiemenes to despair and disappointment, as the independence and unification uprisings he supported in Tuscany failed for years. Only in 1861 did Tuscany become part of a united Italy. Nevertheless, frequent disappointments with national politics made Castello di Sammezzano a place to escape from important matters. Interestingly, the palace was sometimes a meeting place, and in 1878 the residence was visited by King Humbert I of Italy himself.
Ferdinando Panciatichi died in 1897 and the palace passed into the hands of his daughter. In turn, after her death, Castello di Sammezzano was declared an important monument by the Mussolini government. After the war, the building was sold and the new owners converted it into a hotel with a restaurant. Business ceased in the 1990s and to this day the beautiful palace stands empty. Over the years there have been grassroots initiatives to save the monument, but it was not until 2025 that a new buyer was found who wants to restore the palace. A wealthy Italian-English couple bought the castle for €18 million. There are plans for a major renovation, which will cost a further €50 million, and once completed Castello di Sammezzano will open to the public as a museum.
Source: Sammezzano
Additional literature: A.V Braga, Geometry and Color. Decoding the Arts of Islam in the West from the Mid-19th to the Early20th Century, ‘Manazir Journal’ 3:78-92 , https://www.researchgate.net/publication/359067221_Through_the_Looking_Glass_of_the_Orient_Color_Geometry_and_the_Kaleidoscope#pf13, accessed 27.11.2025.
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