Villa San Donato, once a magnificent structure, was built by Nikolai Demidov on 42 hectares of marshy land north of Florence in Polero, acquired from the Catholic Church after his appointment as the Russian ambassador to the court of Tuscany. In 1840, the Tuscan Duke Leopold II granted the status of San Donato to Demidov's son, Anatoly, so he could marry Matilda Bonaparte, the daughter of Napoleon's younger brother, without compromising her status as a princess. The name of the villa is related to its location near Florence.

Construction of the estate began on June 27, 1827, and was completed in 1831. It was considered one of the most beautiful villas in Florence in the 19th century. The estate included manors with rivers, lakes, churches, a zoo, a silk factory, gardens, and a short railway.

The villa also housed a museum with an extensive collection of paintings gathered by the Demidovs.

During World War II, Villa San Donato was looted by German troops. After the war, it came under the ownership of the Florentine administration, and a new urban district emerged nearby. Today, only the heavily damaged manor house, the dilapidated buildings of the Odeon and the family church, as well as the grand gates that have lost their former splendor, remain of the villa. The names of the main streets in the new district serve as a reminder of the former grandeur of the estate: Via San Donato and Via della Villa Demidoff.