Boboli Gardens, Florence

History of the Boboli Gardens

In the mid-16th century Duke Cosimo I de' Medici and his wife Eleonora of Toledo bought Palazzo Pitti on the south bank of the Arno. Behind it rose the Boboli hill, with a stone quarry, and around 1550 the architect Niccolò Tribolo began turning it into a garden. Bartolomeo Ammannati and Bernardo Buontalenti took over after him, and the garden kept growing for another two centuries.

Boboli became one of the first and best-known Italian gardens, with geometric avenues, terraces, clipped hedges, grottoes and statues set among the greenery, a model later copied at royal palaces across Europe. It was the Medici's party ground, with plays, fireworks and lavish receptions.

Today it's a large park with museum status where you can walk for hours. It's cool in the heat, full of shady paths and benches, and in places you'll hardly meet anyone, though the Ponte Vecchio crowds are only ten minutes away.

The amphitheatre and upper terraces

Right behind the palace is the amphitheatre, a vast green bowl with stone tiers where the Medici staged shows. In the middle stands an Egyptian obelisk, taken to Rome in antiquity and to Florence in the 18th century, along with a large granite basin from Roman baths.

From the amphitheatre a path climbs to the Neptune fountain, a bronze sea god in a pond, and higher still to the statue of Abundance and the upper terraces. Up here is the Kaffeehaus, an elegant 18th-century pavilion, and nearby, in a small courtyard, the Porcelain Museum. The top of the garden gives a panorama of Florence's rooftops, the cathedral dome and the surrounding hills, and it's well worth the climb.

What to see in the Boboli Gardens

• Amphitheatre and obelisk — right behind Palazzo Pitti.
• Buontalenti Grotto — a fairy-tale cave with statues.
• Neptune fountain — a pond on the hillside.
• Kaffeehaus — a pavilion with city views.
• The Viottolone — a long cypress avenue down the slope.
• The Isolotto — an island fountain in a pond.
• Bacchino fountain — a comic statue on a turtle by the exit.

The Buontalenti Grotto and the Viottolone

Near the exit to Palazzo Pitti, on the left, hides the Grotto built by Bernardo Buontalenti in 1583–1593. Outside it looks like a façade of stalactites; inside, like a cave from a fairy tale, its walls covered in artificial rock, shells and painted animals. In the far chamber stands Giambologna's marble Venus. Visitors go in in small groups at set times.

From the middle of the garden the Viottolone runs downhill, a long straight avenue between walls of cypress and oak with statues along the sides. It leads to the Isolotto, an oval pond with an island and the Ocean fountain, surrounded by lemon trees in pots, with ducks on the water. It's the quietest part of the garden, almost free of tourists.

Tips for your walk

The garden is large and hilly, with gravel paths and slopes, so wear comfortable shoes and bring water. In summer come in the morning or towards evening; the open terraces get hot at midday. A café near the Kaffeehaus sometimes opens, but don't count on it.

Short on time? Do a quick loop: amphitheatre, Neptune fountain, the top terrace for the view and back via the Buontalenti Grotto, about an hour. With children, the lower avenues down to the Isolotto are best: shade, ducks and room to run. The garden closes an hour before sunset in winter and later in summer, so check the time.

Nearby and on the way

48

Palazzo Pitti

Florence, Italy

2 h · Paid · 8 min walk

Yes — add to my route: Palazzo Pitti

44

Santo Spirito

Florence, Italy

40 min · Free · 11 min walk

Yes — add to my route: Santo Spirito

41

Brancacci Chapel

Florence, Italy

30 min · Paid, timed entry · 13 min walk

Yes — add to my route: Brancacci Chapel

60

Ponte Vecchio

Florence, Italy

20 min · Free · 15 min walk

Yes — add to my route: Ponte Vecchio

How to do it right

• Enter through the Palazzo Pitti courtyard.
• Comfortable shoes and water.
• Best view from the top terrace.
• The Bardini Garden is on the same ticket.

Questions