The story of Sting and his Tuscan Villa

The first town where I spent my first 7 years of life was Figline Valdarno, a charming village that still preserves beautiful Medieval and Renaissance palaces, just at 20 km from Florence. Like all kids of my age I used to go to a public school, which like most Italian schools of those times were managed by nuns and priests.

At the school of Figline (called Seristori school) I met my first friend: the Duke Simone Velluti Zati di San Clemente.

Simone's family were dukes and they owned lands, houses, castles and villas along many kilometers between the cities of Florence and Arezzo.

Simone and his family lived in "Il Palagio" a beautiful Renaissance Florentine Villa located very near to the town of Figline. The Villas was spectacular and wonderful with its Italian gardens, a lake, a soccer field and tennis court in the forest next to Villa, and huge halls where I played with Simone.


The rooms of the house were fabulous and we enjoyed the most delicious meals carefully served by the maids of the Villa. I keep this house as one of my earliest memories and those times as the special moment of meeting my first friend.

At the end of the school year, Simone's parents thought it was very important for Simon learning English perfectly so they moved to Rome where Simone went to an English school.

The years went by, but Simone kept returning to Figliene and to the Palagio in the weekends, and every year for his birthday which was always a great party!

My family moved to Paris and we lost contact until 2008, when thanks to Facebook we got in touch again and then Simone told me the story of the Palagio and Sting.

Simone told me that maintaining such a large Villa was too expensive and one day they received an interesting offer from Sting so they decided to sell it.

Today Sting lives in the Palagio near Figline Valdarno.....in the house that was my kindergarten .... unbelievable!

So if you're in Tuscany and you feel curious about it just go to Figline Valdarno and look for the Palagio. Everybody in the town will tell you how to get there! But pay attention....I think Sting is very shy so better avoid ringing the bell ...

Arrivederci,

Giovanni