In his tenancy of the villa, Lappeggi was restored and became known as the seat of his personal court where various parties and much revelry took place.

When it became clear that the Grand Prince and his wife Violante Beatrice of Bavaria were not going to produce an heir, Cosimo III looked towards his brother to solve the problem facing the Tuscan succession.

The question of an heir was further exacerbated when the union between Prince Gian Gastone and Anna Maria of Saxe-Lauenburg also remained barren.

Gonzaga was repulsed by her husband, refusing to fulfil her marital duties with a man twenty-six years her senior.

Despite requisitioning the assistance of her old confessor from Guastalla, Cosimo III could not cajole her into submitting, as she allegedly feared contracting venereal diseases.