In Fiesole, you can go on a truly unique safari in the world aboard a Land Rover Defender where the ferocious animals are replaced by those of the farm, the savannah by the wild flora of Monte Ceceri and the equatorial sunset by a sky of a thousand shades above a fairytale Florence.

The Fattoria di Maiano is an estate of over 270 hectares born around the small rural village of the same name, whose history is lost in the dawn of time, when since the year 1000 there was a convent of Benedictine nuns dedicated to the production of a excellent oil.

Inherited by Princess Lucrezia Corsini in the 1900s who, together with her husband Count Giacomo Miari Fulcis, continued its agricultural and cultural vocation, it is today managed by Francesco Miari Fulcis together with his children Anna and Tommaso who gave life to a cutting-edge company where the famous Laudemio oil, Tuscany’s yellow gold, and many other organic products are produced.

It is an experience that we invented to offer our guests the opportunity to enjoy the 270 hectares of the estate, having fun without worries and with a pinch of adrenaline.

(Tommaso Miari Fulcis)

From an idea of Tommaso, the history of this magnificent estate is beautifully told through one of the most original experiences in Tuscany: a safari lasting about an hour aboard a Land Rover Defender, a 4×4 off-road vehicle born in England in 1947 and which has become a symbol of adventure and extreme routes throughout the world.

The tour, which starts from the ancient oil mill located in the center of the small village with a route map in hand, winds through 400 meters of difference in altitude, touching various types of landscapes, monumental works and the many attractions of the estate.

Starting from the Queen’s Romantic Park, built by one of the previous owners, Sir John Temple Leader, with a pond in the center and a panoramic tower (which today houses one of the resort’s suites), named in honor of Queen Victoria who inaugurated it in 1893, and by the important sandstone quarries that surround it.

Here, in particular, you can see the walls, which still show the engravings of the stonemasons, from which Michelangelo sourced the stones to build the famous staircase of the Laurentian Library.

We then continue through the heart of the Botanical Park of the Farm, the largest in Europe, alongside medicinal herbs, rows of rose gardens and the many wild animals that populate it: horses, geese, chickens, ducks, ostriches, bulls and donkeys.

Continuing to going up, the route becomes more difficult, climbing and descending almost vertical walls with the Defender, through the woods along the slopes of Monte Ceceri and the narrow stone streets of the small village of Fiesole.

Almost below the summit, another panoramic point shows us the place where Leonardo Da Vinci conducted his first flight experiment, and, a little further on, a truly breathtaking panorama reveals itself before us.

It is an unprecedented view of the city of Florence, from which you can admire all its symbolic monuments, from the Duomo to Palazzo Vecchio, and which becomes truly magical at sunset.

In fact, it is precisely one hour before sunset that we advise you to book the safari, made even more special by the story of the Farm staff who will be able to entertain you with various anecdotes of this magnificent territory which, from Michelangelo to Leonardo, it has left us important traces of the splendor of the extraordinary Renaissance Florence.

The Secret

The most important Tuscan artists created their works precisely with the stone extracted from the Maiano quarries, such as, among others, Michelengelo.

Useful Info

Fattoria di Maiano
Via Benedetto da Maiano 11
50014 Fiesole, Firenze
Tel. +39 055 59049

Safari Experience: from 210 euro for 2 pax