The Boboli Garden in Florence

Author: Serena

Boboli is a monumental park characterized by high scenographic effects and considered a magnificent example of the Italian Garden Style. It can be defined a real open-air museum both for the importance of its architectonical structure and for which one of its several sculptures.

A fountain in the Boboli Garden

Visiting this unique park, in fact, you can note how the architectonical disposition of a rare botanical heritage is accompaigned by the presence of veritable architecture’s and sculpture’s masterpieces. All these Neoclassic and Mannerist artistic works are full of specific meanings and symbols.

The completion of this garden lasted for four centuries, from Renaissance to the Nineteenth century representing in this way the result of different interventions wanted by all the liege lords who followed one after the other throughout centuries.

The Boboli garden is placed on the hill behind Pitti Palace and its realization was required by Cosimo I dei Medici who wanted to construct a worthy scenography for the parties of the Medici’s court.

View of the Pitti Palace from the Boboli Garden

You can reach this park coming from the internal courtyard of Palazzo Pitti through a staircase that will lead you to a large square where you can admire the Fountain of the Artichoke.

The Fountain of the Artichoke

At the centre of this garden there is the amphitheatre originally built to perform theatrical representations for the Medici’s family.

The amphitheatre in the Boboli Garden

During the nineteenth century this garden’s scenographic function increased thanks to the installation of a central Roman epoch granite fountain and of an Egyptian obelisk.

The Egyptian obelisk in the Boboli Garden

At the end of the avenue of the Viottolone there is the large square of the Oxbow (Isolotto): in this widening you can admire an artificial small lake full of grasses that decorate the Fountain of Ocean made by Giambologna in 1576. Two small paths start from this point: one of them will lead you to the Fort of Belevedere (Forte del Belvedere) and the other one will lead you to the Casino of the Knight (Casino del Cavaliere) that is now the seat of the Chinaware Museum (Museo delle Porcellane).

The Fountain of Ocean

Coming back toward Pitti Palace, this small path will lead you to the Grotta Grande (the Big Cave): this is a magnificent compound of statues and fountains made by Buontalenti. This is one of the masterpieces in Boboli. Behind the elegant little loggia (supported by precious red marble columns belonging to the pre-existent garden centre by Giorgio Vasari) the Buontalenti’s mannerist fancy produced three striking ambiances inspired by the theme of the metamorphosis.