A family's for two centuries
Still owned and run by them — you are a guest, not a facility's visitor.
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A private walled garden in the Oltrarno district south of the Arno in Florence, considered the largest private garden within a city's walls in Europe. It covers about seven hectares in the heart of a dense city and has belonged to the same family for more than two centuries. It was laid out in the early nineteenth century in the English romantic manner: winding paths, lawns, groups of trees, a small observation tower and garden buildings. What makes it interesting is that it is not a museum: it is a family's garden, still owned and run by them, opened on limited dates and by advance booking only, sometimes on a tour with a member of the family. That changes the nature of the visit entirely: you are a guest in a private place rather than a visitor at a tourist facility. It should be clear that access is not automatic: you cannot go in without arranging it, dates are few and may be seasonal, and booking is essential. It lies in the Oltrarno, the artisan district south of the river, the quietest and least crowded part of Florence.
Still owned and run by them — you are a guest, not a facility's visitor.
A space nobody expects inside Florence's dense fabric.
Winding paths, a tower and garden buildings from the early nineteenth century.
Oltrarno, south of the Arno
La Specola Natural History MuseumIn a quiet room off Via Romana, a wax woman lies on a silk cushion, real human h6 minutes walk4.6
Brancacci ChapelThis is the small room, only a few paces across, where Michelangelo had his nose8 minutes walk4.5
Palazzo PittiThe Pitti is Florence's most massive palace: a titanic stone block on the south 9 minutes walk4.5
Boboli GardensBoboli is the Pitti Palace's royal garden and the mother of all Italian gardens:9 minutes walk4.1
Basilica of Santo SpiritoAround 1492 a boy of about seventeen struck a bargain with the Augustinian friar10 minutes walk4.5Through the garden's own site or by contacting it directly before you travel. Dates are few and numbers limited, and visits may be organised as tours on particular days. Do not rely on turning up — this is not a public garden and the gate is closed without a prior arrangement.
The Boboli Gardens behind the Pitti Palace are the obvious destination: far larger, open daily with a ticket, holding sculpture, pools, an amphitheatre and a view over Florence. The neighbouring Bardini garden is smaller but its view over the city is among the finest.