Boboli Gardens

WHY VISIT THE BOBOLI GARDENS?

Spending a few hours in the Boboli Gardens will give you a unique experience full of art and relaxation that you can not miss in your experience in Florence. Walk its paths and discover the works of art and views that this garden offers, simply an evocative experience full of charm.
Around the main axis of the garden it is possible to visit what can be compared with a suggestive open-air museum with statues, among which is the statue of "Sitting Jupiter" by Bandinelli, fountains such as the "Fountain of Neptune" called by the Florentines like "Fontana del Forcone" (Fountain of the Pitchfork) for the big fork gripped by the statute and its paths with trees and hedges that will guide you through its many routes.
One of the most interesting monuments of the garden is the Grotto of Buontalenti, a true masterpiece of architecture and sculpture mannerist initiated by Vasari and completed by Buontalenti at the end of 1500 commissioned by Francesco I de Medici. The grotto is composed of three environments with works such as the Venus Fountain of Giambologna.
In addition to the garden and the museum route, inside you can admire the wonderful rococo-style pavilion that houses the Kaffeehaus and the lemon tree that in the cold season houses large pots with lemon plants. At the end of your visit, you can take a picture with the Nano Morgante riding on his marble turtle.

A LITTLE HISTORY OF THE BOBOLI GARDENS

The Boboli Garden was born as the garden of the residence of the Pitti Palace when the Medici family changed their residence buying the Palace from the Pitti family. Initially it is Luca Pitti who buys the gardens, but later Eleonora da Toledo enlarged and enriched it. After the disappearance of the first designer, Niccolò Tribolo, the works were handed over to three great artists, Vasari, Ammannati and Buontalenti.
Over the years, several hypotheses have been created regarding the name "Boboli". Some people think that this name derives from the Etruscan or from the Latin "Bubulus", which it might comes from the Borgoli family or from the Latin term "Bubilia" because of the old presence of livestock stables. Other assumptions refer to the name of the former owner of these lands, the Longobardo "Bobilio" or even "Bogole" the name with which it was called the place where today the garden is located.

WHAT ARE THE BOBOLI GARDENS NOWADAYS?

The Boboli Garden is the historic garden of the city. It extends over an area of 45,000 square meters and is an example of the classic Italian garden. A true outdoor museum that develops and enriches during the years ranging from 1400 to 1900.
The path of the garden allows you to walk through its beautiful tree paths, entering the Boboli Gardens from the Pitti Palace we find the amphitheater and climbing up from where they start their transversal paths you reach the Fountain of Neptune and further up you can still reach to the Garden of the Gentleman from where it is possible to enjoy the breathtaking views of all of Florence.
Continuing along the trails that go to east and west, you will find countless fascinating places such as the Kaffeehaus, the grotto of Buontalenti, the bathtub of the island and the garden of the columns.
The garden also has a museum tour. In fact, it houses in its interior the Museum of the Porcelain (Museo delle Ceramiche), the Museum of Costumes (Galleria del Costume) and the Museum of Silver (Museo degli Argenti).

CURIOSITIES OF THE BOBOLI GARDENS

Did you know that “The Prisoners”, the unfinished sculptures with which Michelangelo represents the prisoners as men who seem to come out of the marble block, before being placed inside the Accademia Gallery were in the Grotto of Buontalenti inside the Boboli Gardens?
Did you know that the stone used to build the palace was extracted from the collapsed hill that was the birthplace of the garden and that formed the basin in which the amphitheater was designed?
Did you know that in the second half of 1700 where before there was a nursery, the "Bacino di Nettuno" (Basin of Neptune), where the water that serves the whole garden is transported and comes from the fountain under the Garden of the Knight.

OTHER ATTRACTIONS

Next to the Boboli Gardens, as well as the Palatine Gallery and the Modern Art Gallery within the Palazzo Pitti, you can visit other museums such as the Specola Zoological Museum, which is the oldest scientific museum in Europe with headquarters in the Torrigiani Palace or the Bardini Museum with an interesting collection of antiques.
The Boboli Gardens borders with the Forte Belvedere and is also the entrance to the Vasari Corridor that crosses the city over the Ponte Vecchio, the Uffizi Gallery and the Palazzo Vecchio. In the Inferno novel by Dan Brown, the protagonists jump the wall that surrounds the garden to escape and hide inside.
If you want to visit important Italian sculpture museums, you cant miss the Bargello Museum and the Accademia Gallery that houses Michelangelo's famous David. One of the two copies of this statue is in Piazzale Michelangelo, while the other is in Piazza della Signoria. The house dedicated to the great artist is Casa Buonarroti, which you can visit in the center of the city.
Another impressive work that you can not miss is undoubtedly the Duomo of Florence in Piazza Duomo, not far from the Church of San Lorenzo and the Medici Chapels. Continuing the tour with the help of the map of Florence, you can visit the San Marco Museum, the Piazza Santissima Annunziata and the Archaeological Museum.
If you have never visited Tuscany, it is worth visiting cities such as Lucca, Siena or Arezzo, going to the Leaning Tower of Pisa or visiting towns such as Vinci or San Gimignano.

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