Just outside Florence, Italy, is one of the most famous of the Medici villas, Poggio a Caiano. Commissioned in 1470 by Lorenzo il Magnifico, the villa, also called Ambra, wasn’t complete until 1520. Ambra is a wonderful example of new Renaissance architecture with wide pillars, a glazed terracotta frieze and large centrifugal salon decorated with frescos. Of course it is not Italy without wine, and Ambra’s cellar features hundreds of bottles stored in terracotta racks. These old vintages look great, but it’s unclear what they might taste like.

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