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Boboli Gardens.
Address: Piazza Pitti 1, Florence. Tel: 055 265 1816 - Open: during
Winter: daily (except Mondays) from 9.00am to 4.30pm. During Summer:
daily (except Mondays) from 9.00am to 6.30pm. Entrance: 4.00 Euros.
When Florence's famous Medici Family acquired Pitti Palace in 1550 it
also had a large park area, which had not been landscaped or cultivated.
Then in 1550 on purchasing the estate, the family appointed Niccolò
Pericoli to work on the park and did so until his death in 1558, he
created a masterpiece of "landscape architecture" covering
the parks 320,000 square metres. Several additions, like the Coffeehouse
(1774-76), the Lawn of the Columns (1776) and the Lemonary (1785), were
installed by the Lorriane family. The fantastic gardens have since been
carefully kept and in 1774 they were opened to the public. Visitors
can enjoy great views of the city from on top of the hills of the garden
and the rose garden also serves a breathtaking site when it is in full
season. The gardens are adorned with a multitude of statues, which make
this a perfect representative of an Italian Renaissance garden. In fact,
the design of the Boboli Gardens was used as a basis for most of the
royal gardens in Europe, including Versailles. Entrance: circa 2.00
Euros.
Parco Delle Cascine. Address: Parco delle Cascine, Florence.
Open: continuously. Entrance: free.
One of Florence's major parks, the Parco delle Cascine, has an interesting
history. It was bought by Archduke Alessandro in the mid 1500s and the
estate was later expanded by Cosimo I. The park's present name derives
from the farms on the estate, whose primarily function was cattle raising
(cascina means barn). Since the beginning of the 17th century, the park
has been dominated by a majestic tree-lined lane, first known as the
Stradone dei Pini and subsequently as the Stradone del Re. Under Pietro
Leopoldo, the park was reorganised, with the addition of gardening facilities
and a guardhouse. It was also opened to the public, but only for special
events and Ascension Day. It was conceived of as an essentially wild
area, whose only fixed structure was a hunting lodge built by G. Manetti
in 1786, where the Archduke and his family could stay. The following
year, in occasion of Archduchess Maria Teresa's wedding, all the old
buildings were demolished. In the second half of the 18th century Archduchess
Elisa made the park public, thus giving the city a vast green area very
different from the gardens within the courtyards of the city's palaces.
The Archduchess also had a new entrance added to the park at Porta al
Prato, where the Baluardo del Serpe was breached and a wide road avenue
built to the River Arno. At the same time, the street that ran parallel
to the river was straightened and paved. In the 19th century, the gardens
of the Cascine were laid out in a Firenzentic style, and looked very
different than they do now. Also, in the course of the 19th century
large areas of the park were transformed into sporting facilities, such
as racetracks.
Giardino Dell'Iris. Address: entrance at Piazzale Michelangelo.
Tel: 055 483 112 - Open: May 2nd to May 20th (Monday to Friday: 10.00am
to 12.30pm and 3.00pm to 7.00pm. Weekends: 10.00am to 7.00pm.
The iris has symbolised the City of Florence as early as 1251 and here
in this garden there are more than 2,500 different varieties of the
flower. The entrance to Florence's Iris Garden is easily found and located
where Viale dei Colli opens into Piazzale Michelangelo.
Giardino Delle Rose. Address: Viale Giuseppe Poggi 2, Florence.
Tel: 055 262 5305.
The City of Florence asked Giuseppe Poggi In 1865, the architect who
masterminded the restructuring of the future Capital of the Kingdom
of Italy, to turn his attention to the left bank of the River Arno.
The city bought approximately 2.5 acres of the hillside above Porta
San Niccolò (upriver from the Ponte Vecchio) so that Poggi could
create what is now know as Giardino Delle Rose (Eng.: Rose Garden).
From the parks slanting hills there is not only a beautiful overview
of the garden but also of the city itself. May is the ideal time to
see the park in full bloom.
List of historical gardens open to the public
in Florence and its province
Botanical Gardens
Via P.A. Micheli, 3. Open: Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, 9.00am
to midday. Tel: 055 275 7402. Entrance: free of charge.
The Garden of Palazzo Medici Riccardi
Via Cavour, 1. Open: 9.00am to 1.00pm and 3.00pm to 6.00pm. Sundays
9.00am to 1.00pm. Closed: Wednesdays. Tel: 055 276 01.
Giardino dell'Orticultura
Via Bolognese, 17. Open: 8.00am to 8.00pm. Tel: 055 483 698.
The Garden at Villa della Petraia
Villa della Petraia, 40. Open: daily (except Mondays) 9.00am to 4.30pm.
Tel: 055 425691. Entrance: circa 2.00 Euros.
The Garden al Villa di Castello
Via di Castello. Open: daily (except Mondays) 9.00am to 4.30pm. Tel:
055 454 791.
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