Historical background

Directly behind Pitti Palace, in the heart of the Florence old town centre, are the Boboli Gardens. The Medici family established the layout of the gardens, creating the Italian garden style that would become a model for many European courts. The vast green expanse with a formal layout is a real outdoor museum, populated by ancient and Renaissance statues.

Grottos and fountains

The Gardens are also adorned with grottos, the most important of which is the famous grotto realized by Bernardo Buontalenti, as well as large fountains, such as the Fountain of Neptune and the Fountain of the Ocean. The subsequent Habsburg-Lorraine and Savoy dynasties further developed the layout, extending the boundaries that flank the ancient city walls until Porta Romana.

Rococo architecture

In the stunningly beautiful terraced area there is an 18th-century pavilion called the Kaffeehaus, a rare example of Rococo architecture in Tuscany, and the Lemon House built by Zanobi del Rosso between 1777 and 1778. The tour of Boboli Gardens complete the Pitti Palace visit of which it is an integral part, allowing the spirit of court life to be fully appreciated and the gardens to be enjoyed, which, although constantly updated, remain true to their original project.