Confiscated from Lorenzo di Piero Ridolfi in the 16th century by Francesco I de’ Medici who assigned it to don Antonio de’ Medici, son of Bianca Cappello, the villa was enlarged on a project by Bernardo Buontalenti. Situated in the middle of a vast meadow, the villa is surrounded by crenellated walls which give it, still today, the traditional look of a fortified house. In the first half of the 17th century, the villa with its adjoining farm was sold to the Capponi family who maintained the original aspect intact.

Galileo Galilei was a guest at this villa several times, as can be gathered from the letters written to him by Antonio de’ Medici on October 31, 1611, and by French philosopher Marin Mersenne on February 1, 1629.