Boboli Gardens, Florence

Description

"The Garden that extends from the hill behind the Pitti Palace as far as Porta Romana, reached its current extension and appearance, becoming one of the largest and most elegant Italian style gardens, through several stages of enlargement and restructuring work carried out at different times. The first works initially affected the area that was closer to the palace, after the building had been purchased by Cosimo I de' Medici and by his wife Eleonora di Toledo, who had chosen this place for new grand ducal palace. The initial plan was drawn by Niccolò Il Tribolo, although the works were completed, after his death in 1550 by other architects including also Giorgio Vasari (from 1554 to 1561) along with Bartolomeo Ammannati and Bernardo Buontalenti under the reign of Francis I, who succeeded to his father Cosimo. The Medici and the Lorraine families continued to enrich and enlarge the garden also in 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. Besides adding meadows, avenues, small groves and beautiful panoramic views, they made decorative complexes, thus forming an outdoor museum that exhibited both Roman and 16th and 17th century statues." --http://www.museumsinflorence.com/musei/boboli_garden.html# Keywords: Italy, Italian, Firenze, Florence, outdoor spaces, garden, garden structures, walkways. Submitted by Goldie Ludovici.

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