I visited a large country house in Tuscany recently and the room layout was a bit strange, it seems like the architect designed for a different way of life. I've tried to find literature on the subject but the searches get muddled with american tuscan pastiche. So does anybody know how aristocratic/noble Tuscans lived in the 17/18th century?
You were probably in a country house that was cut up and redeveloped to house apartments, which is why it could seem strange.
There's a lot that can be said about town/country lifestyles in the 17th and 18th centuries, as Italy emerged from the wars of the 16th century and economic activity picked up again. Do you know who owned the house? Are you sure it was an aristocratic family? And what was strange about the house?