The Villa Medici at Fiesole was built in the 1450s for Cosimo de' Medici the Elder by Michelozzo, and is considered one of the first true Renaissance gardens in Italy. Rather than the enclosed medieval garden or the later baroque cascade, this was a hillside garden designed in dialogue with the landscape — terraces cut into the slope, loggia oriented toward the view, architecture and nature integrated. It established a template that influenced garden design for the next two centuries.
The villa is privately owned and not open to the public, but the exterior is visible from the lane below and the concept is worth understanding. Even passing by you can read the terraced structure descending the hill, the relationship between the building and the slope, and the deliberate framing of the Arno valley view. If you want to see a comparable Medici garden in the area that is open to visitors, Villa Gamberaia in nearby Settignano is an alternative worth the detour.