In the middle of the 16th century, Giovan Battista de Lorenzo Struzzi bought a series of adjacent properties to expand the forest known as Cavagio. Inside this spacious property is built an apartment with a large adjacent garden and Cavagio wood, while preserving its wild properties, has become a delightful place with water features and decorative elements, typical of the taste of a particular way.
A second major change took place in the mid-19th century, when Prince Ferdinando Struzzi commissioned Giuseppe Bugi to restore the villa and redesign the garden. There are two main elements in the Poggi project: the road of vehicles that rises from Via di Soffiano and the clearing. To this end, Poggi turned the fields to the south, forming them in nice slopes, crossed by paths for walking.
On Via di Soffiano, the entrance road ends with an elegant wrought-iron gate between two columns and two cottages lined with rustic foliage. Outside the entrance, gradually climb to the top of the hill from the street surrounded by lemon trees, plane trees and horse chests that allow you to take a glimpse of meadows where pine trees, flowers and judas gather, resulting in a beautiful contrast in color in the spring season.
The renovation of Poggi was also a part of a 16th-century garden, where architectural paths and decorations were rearranged. On the side of Via Pisana, a stunning staircase was built in the pebbled Petra Serena, along the ladders of Viale di Colli.
Moreover, between the old and the new park was introduced limonaia imposed, marked by three Serlianes. After long vicissitudes, including the request of German troops first and then Allied forces in World War II, the Florence municipality bought the park and the villa to become a public park (called Parco di Villa Strozzi or Il Boschetto).
Since its restoration in the 1980s, it has become home to Tempo Reale, the research and production center founded by Luciano Perio. Until 2011 was also the headquarters of Polimoda.
On March 25, 2014, the Sino Italian Design Center - Florence & Shanghai opened. In the two months following the opening, the villa underwent restoration work on the ground and first floors. The Center later hosted activities and events focused on design, sustainable architecture, fashion and food.
