Florence Historic Gardens: Boboli, Bardini and Beyond
Florence’s historic gardens
Florence is not usually described as a green city. The historic centre is dense, the streets are narrow, and the stone and terracotta palette gives the city a rich but enclosed quality. But Florence contains several substantial historic gardens that are among the finest in Italy.
These gardens are not decorative additions to the city. They are significant historical landscapes, designed over centuries by some of the same architects and planners who shaped the buildings around them. Visiting them provides a perspective on Florence that no museum or church can offer: the view back over the city from the heights of the Oltrarno hillside.
This guide covers four main gardens, with practical information on entry, hours, and what to see.
Boboli Garden: practical tips
The Boboli Garden is the largest and most visited historic garden in Florence. It covers approximately 45 hectares on the hillside behind Palazzo Pitti. The garden was begun in 1550 for Eleonora of Toledo, wife of Cosimo I de’ Medici, and was expanded and modified by successive Grand Dukes over the following two centuries.
The garden’s layout is a mix of formal Italian Renaissance geometry, principally in the areas closest to the palace, and a looser, more naturalistic English landscape style in the upper sections, which were redesigned in the 18th and early 19th centuries.
The main entrance is from Piazza Pitti. Hours are 08:15 to sunset, varying by season: 18:30 in September, 17:30 in October. Closed on the first and last Monday of each month. Entry costs 10 euros for adults, or 22 euros for the combined Palazzo Pitti ticket including all three museums in the complex.
What to focus on: the amphitheatre immediately behind the palace, which contains a 22-metre Egyptian obelisk from Luxor dating from the reign of Ramesses II; the Isolotto, a circular pool with a central island occupied by an elaborate fountain and orange trees; and the Kaffehaus pavilion on the upper hillside, which offers a terrace view over the city.
The garden is largest in the lower sections and the crowds thin out significantly as you climb. If you visit in summer, plan to arrive when the garden opens at 08:15 to avoid both heat and crowds. The upper garden in the morning is often completely uncrowded.
Giardino Bardini: lesser known and more beautiful
The Bardini Garden is less known than the Boboli, and in many respects more rewarding. It sits immediately east of the Boboli on the same hillside, accessed separately from Via dei Bardi or Costa San Giorgio.
The garden covers about 4 hectares on a steep hillside. The central axis is a long staircase pergola covered in wisteria that runs straight up the slope from the villa at the bottom to the terrace at the top. In late April and early May, when the wisteria flowers, this pergola becomes one of the most photographed sights in Florence. At other times of year it is still structurally impressive.
The terrace at the top of the garden gives you a view over the Oltrarno neighbourhood and the city beyond. The perspective here is slightly different from Piazzale Michelangelo: you are closer to the city and slightly lower, which changes the proportions of the view.
Entry costs 10 euros, or is included in a combined ticket with the Boboli Garden. Open 08:15 to sunset, closed Mondays. The garden also includes the Villa Bardini, which houses a small museum devoted to the Florentine fashion designer Roberto Capucci and a changing exhibition programme.
The cafe at the villa terrace serves coffee, light meals, and drinks with the view as backdrop. It is one of the better-positioned cafes in the city and prices are moderate given the setting.
Giardino delle Rose: when it opens
The Giardino delle Rose is a terraced garden on the hillside between the Piazzale Michelangelo road and the San Miniato al Monte basilica. It is owned by the municipality of Florence and covers about 1 hectare on a steep slope with views over the city.
The garden has approximately 350 varieties of roses and blooms from late April through June, with the peak typically in the second and third weeks of May. At this time it is visited heavily; come in the early morning to avoid the crowds and to photograph the roses with the city behind them.
Outside the rose season, the garden is still open and free, but it has less visual interest. The terraced structure and the views remain, but the main draw disappears until the following spring.
Opening hours: April to June, daily 09:00 to 20:00. July to September, Monday to Friday 09:00 to 20:00, closed weekends. Check current hours with the municipality before visiting. Entry is free.
A small but remarkable detail: the garden contains a collection of sculptures by the Belgian artist Jean-Michel Folon, placed throughout the terraces. The combination of abstract bronze figures and the formal rose garden creates an unusual atmosphere.
The Corsini Palace Gardens
The Palazzo Corsini sul Prato on Lungarno Corsini has a private garden that opens to the public on selected dates, typically through the FAI (Fondo per l’Ambiente Italiano) open days held twice a year in spring and autumn.
The garden is a rare example of a private historic garden in the city centre. Most private gardens in Florence are on villas in the countryside; having one this close to the river and the historic centre is unusual. The design dates from the 17th and 18th centuries and includes formal parterres, a large lemon garden, and a bosco section with mature trees.
When open, entry is typically free or costs a small donation. The FAI open weekend days in March and October are when access is most reliably available. Check the FAI website (fondoambiente.it) for the current schedule and any booking requirements.
If you cannot visit the Corsini garden, the Orto Botanico at Via Pier Antonio Micheli 3, adjacent to Palazzo Medici Riccardi, is another green space worth knowing. It is one of the oldest botanical gardens in Europe, founded in 1545, and covers about 2.3 hectares. Entry is 4 euros. Open Monday to Friday 10:00 to 18:00, closed weekends.
Where to stay
The Key is at Via Cittadella 22, five minutes on foot from Santa Maria Novella station. The Boboli Garden at Palazzo Pitti is about 25 minutes on foot from the guesthouse, crossing the Arno via the Ponte Vecchio or Ponte Santa Trinita.
The Bardini Garden and the Giardino delle Rose require an additional 10 to 15 minutes of walking from the Pitti area.
