Moses Grotto, Boboli Gardens. Boboli Gardens in Florence - description of attractions, opening hours and tickets. Composition of the Boboli Gardens in Florence
The powerful Medici family created amazing Gardens Boboli in the sixteenth century. Beautiful Italian gardens with many statues and fountains are spread around the Pitti Palace, forming a single architectural and landscape ensemble.
The Pitti Palace came into the possession of the Medici in 1549, when Eleonora di Toledo bought it from its bankrupt owners. Her husband, Duke Cosimo I, hired the most renowned architects and landscape designers to create a large garden at the back of the palace. The result is an elegant garden in the Italian Renaissance style with a geometric layout. In subsequent years, the grounds of the Boboli Gardens were expanded several times, numerous statues and fountains were added, and in 1776 the area was opened to visitors. Some parts of the park were created artificially in perfect geometric proportions, while others are natural. 
Thanks to its clever topography, the Boboli Gardens offer the best views of Florence from any of its many terraces. Of the several entrances to the park, the most popular is located at Pitti Square and Piazzale Porta Romana in the eastern part of the park. You can buy a separate ticket for the Boboli Gardens, or a combined pass for the Pitti Palace and the park. Please note that the opening hours of one of Italy's most beautiful gardens may vary depending on the time of year. 
Entering from Piazza Pitti you will walk along the Bacchus Fountain - one of the most prominent fountains in the park. Nearby are two Roman statues that adorned the former entrance of the Gardens. On the left side of the complex is an artificial grotto known as the Grotto Grande, or Grotto del Buontalenti, after the designer of this ornate cave. The grotto was reconstructed between 1583 and 1588, including three interconnected halls with a collection of sculptures.
Here you can see copies of the statues of the Four Slaves - Michelangelo's unfinished creation for the tomb of Pope Julius II. It seems as if the slaves came to life and are trying to break free from the block of marble - the master was able to convey his idea so realistically. The original sculptures are in the Academy Gallery. In the second hall of the Grotto there is a sculpture by Vincenzo de Rossi "Paris and Helen", created in 1560. Other rooms also contain many impressive pieces of history. Unfortunately, the Grotto is often closed to visitors. To the north of the Grotto Grande are terraced gardens leading to the Coffee House. The elegant Rococo style pavilion was built in 1775 and is still in use today. In the center of the garden next to the Coffee House there is a small fountain depicting the ancient Greek hero Ganymede riding an eagle. 
The amphitheater of the Boboli Gardens can be seen directly behind the Pitti Palace. Its niches contain numerous classical statues and urns. The Egyptian obelisk in the middle of the amphitheater belonged to Pharaoh Ramses II. It was brought to Rome from Heliopolis and then transported to Florence. Behind the amphitheater there is a small pond with a Neptune fountain in the center. The fountain was created in 1565-1568 by master Stoldo Lorenzi. Higher up the slope there is a small rose garden with a fountain in the center, known as the Garden of the Knights. From its terrace one of the best views to Florence and its attractions. The Porcelain Museum is located in a small building next to the rose garden. 
In the western part of the Boboli Gardens triumphs wild nature with thickets and forests. The central alley of Viottolone runs through these areas. An avenue of cypress trees with statues leads to the lake with the small island of Isolotto and a pretty fountain created by Giambologna in 1576. Sculptures of mysterious mythological creatures guard the passages to the island on all sides. 
Address: Boboli Gardens, Piazza Pitti, 1, 50125 Florence, Italy. You can get here by any public transport.
Boboli Gardens (Florence, Italy): detailed description, address and photo. Opportunities for sports and recreation, infrastructure, cafes and restaurants in the park. Reviews from tourists.
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The world-famous Boboli Gardens, located next to the residence of the Medici Dukes, Palazzo Pitti, are considered a museum of garden sculpture. Why is this park so interesting? Firstly, he is very beautiful - here great amount all kinds of terraces, fountains, grottoes and gazebos. Secondly, in the gardens there are sculptures created in different time- from antiquity to the 17th century. And finally, the most important argument - the Boboli gardens served as a model according to which all European royal parks, including Versailles. It is also worth admiring this park because it offers a beautiful panoramic view of Florence.
The Boboli Gardens, located in Florence, served as a model for all European royal parks, including Versailles.
The park owes its name to the hill of the same name. The idea to create a park here belonged to Eleanor of Toledo, the wife of Duke Cosimo I de' Medici. She didn't just want to break beautiful park, but make the best one to emphasize the wealth and influence of your family. The best Italian architects and sculptors have been working on bringing the idea to life since 1549.
Boboli Gardens
At all times, many different events took place in the Boboli Gardens. Under the Medici, lavish receptions were held here, performances and celebrations were held. Today, the park also often hosts musical and theatrical performances, as well as exhibitions. By the way, the park has been open to visitors since 1766.
The Boboli Gardens are home to an amphitheater that hosted the very first opera performances in the world. The amphitheater is also interesting because it houses an Egyptian obelisk brought from Luxor.
The Boboli Gardens are divided by long center paths and wide gravel paths. It is worth noting that on the main axial path you will be able to see the Neptune Fountain. Locals They jokingly call it a fountain with a fork. By the way, almost all sculptures have their own historical value. For example, near one of the grottoes there are statues of slaves - exact copies of Michelangelo’s “Slaves”. Nearby there is a statue of a fat man sitting astride a turtle - this is the court jester of Duke Cosimo I.
It is known that the great Russian writer Fyodor Dostoevsky and his wife loved to walk in the Boboli Gardens.
Practical information
Entrance fee 10 EUR ( high season). Gardens open at 8:15 all year round, but they close depending on the season. From November to February the gardens are open until 16:30. In March - until 17:30. In April, May, September and October - until 18:30. From June to August you can walk in Boboli Park until 19:30.
Prices on the page are as of September 2018.
The Italian Renaissance gave birth not only to works of fabulous art and architecture, but also to unique park landscape design.
Green spaces, symmetrically arranged and decorated with sparkling fountains, sculptures and grottoes, came into fashion during the 15th century.
Rising behind the Pitti Palace, the inimitable Boboli Gardens were originally designed for the Medici family and are one of the earliest examples of Italian garden design, which later inspired many European landscape architects.
The estate, which was later transformed into a magnificent garden, was acquired by the Medici family in 1549, when Eleonora di Toledo acquired the Palazzo Pitti. Eleanor's husband, Duke Cosimo I, hired the most famous architects of the time to create huge park on the sloping ground behind the palace.
As a result, Italy received a real masterpiece of park art - the Boboli Gardens (Giardino di Boboli), which are one of the largest parks in Florence (45,000 sq. m) and represent one of the best examples of ideal landscape design.
The park area has gone through several stages of expansion and reorganization. It has been enlarged several times over the years, with numerous fountains and statues added. The Boboli Gardens were completely opened to the general public in 1776 and represented a real museum open air.
The first stage of development was led by Niccolò Tribolo; after his sudden death in 1550, the design was continued by Bartolomeo Ammanati, with the participation of Giorgio Vasari, who laid out the grottoes, and the sculptor Bernardo Buontalenti.
The area lacked natural water sources, so a pipeline was drawn from the nearby Arno River and a complex irrigation system was built to water the plantings.
You can visit the territory using several entrances. The most popular of them are located in Piazza dei Pitti and Piazzale della Porta Romana at the eastern end of the park.
Just behind the facade of Palazzo Pitti, next to the Artichoke Fountain and a wonderful little garden, there is an amphitheater modeled on Roman circuses.
Today we see in the middle the granite pool from the Roman baths of Caracalla and the Egyptian obelisk from Ramses II's Luxor, but in 1589 it was a structure that hosted a reception in honor of the marriage of Ferdinando de' Medici and Christina of Lorraine. The main axial road begins there and leads you along oak and cypress trees.
The cypress alley leads directly to Isolotto - small island in the middle of a pond with goldfish. The island itself has been turned into a wonderful garden of small citrus trees growing in pots.
In the center is the Ocean fountain (L "Oceano), which was created in 1576 by the sculptor Giambologna. The composition of the fountain includes statues of Neptune and other gods personifying rivers such as the Ganges, Nile and Euphrates. Statues of strange mythical creatures are located on the alleys leading to the island.
Walking along the alleys and paths framed by large hedges, which are also important elements of garden architecture, you will find the Lawn of Columns, which is surrounded by majestic plane trees. There are columns on both sides of the lawn, and busts of the gods of antiquity are located in niches made of green hedges.
The works of Bernardo Buontalenti are characterized by the caustic irony typical of the Florentines and embodied in such sculptures as the Fountain of Bacchus and Neptune.
If you enter the park from Piazza dei Pitti, you will immediately see the Fountain of Bacchus, one of the most unusual and grotesque sculptural styles. He portrays Pietro Barbino, the court jester of Duke Cosimo I.
This obese dwarf is depicted naked and drinking wine while sitting on a turtle. The fountain is located in close proximity to the Pitti Palace, at the entrance to the Vasari Corridor.
And the Neptune Fountain, created in 1565-1568, was ironically called by the Florentines Fontana della forchetta (Fork Fountain), because of the trident of the God of the Sea.
Boboli is found in the Florentine gardens a large number of sculptural works on the theme of Roman mythology. Surrounded by greenery, you can admire beautiful gazebos and terraces.
On one of them there is a small rose garden known as Giardano del Cavaliere or the Garden of the Knights. A small sculptural fountain is installed in its center. The terrace offers a magnificent panorama of the surrounding area. And when you climb to the top of the hill, you will be treated to a breathtaking view of Florence.
One cannot help but recall the most famous Grotto Grande, which is also called Grotto del Buontalenti, named after one of the architects who created it.
The grotto was artificially created between 1583 and 1588 and consists of interconnecting caves that are decorated with sculptures, fake stalactites, and faithful reproductions of natural elements in a playful Mannerist style.
In the western part of the park area you can wander through the forest. A central wide road known as Il Viottolone crosses this area.
This magnificent park in the heart of Florence is breathtaking and shows the past splendor of the lives of the Grand Dukes of Tuscany. The Boboli Gardens in Florence are a luxurious place where culture, history and entertainment are intertwined and where mind and soul are in harmony.
In the Boboli Gardens
A lot of pain.
Garden theme –
Hell diagram.
Transvestite in the toilet
You will be pleasantly surprised.
I heard so much about the Boboli Gardens that I specially came to see them. (by the way, does anyone know what "Boboli" means?)
They are located across the river, behind the Pitti Palace - the residence of the Medici. The park was founded by Cosimo de' Medici's wife, Eleanor of Toledo (1522-1562). The arrangement of the park was entrusted to Niccolò Tribolo, and after his death in 1550, his work was continued by Bartolomeo Ammanati; Giorgio Vasari also participated in the design and construction of several grottoes.
The sculptures for the Boboli Gardens were made by Bernardo Buontalenti, who also designed the grotto in the courtyard separating the palace from the gardens.
Since the 17th century, the entrance to the garden became accessible to townspeople. Today you need to buy a ticket there, which also includes a visit to the porcelain pavilion and the costume museum.
Boboli Gardens is a huge park with complex terrain. You have to walk up and down, and in the heat, it seems that the word “garden” is similar to the word “sadism,” or that it would be more correct to drop the first letter from it.
It’s hard to walk around the entire garden; I couldn’t do it. Overall it doesn't seem very well maintained. Gardeners still take care of the shape of the trees, but not so much with the rest. The lawns should be updated, the fountains repaired, more benches installed, drinking fountains installed.
There are practically no flowers there, few fountains. The garden is valuable for its landscape and sculpture.
But the views from above are beautiful and there are all sorts of cypress alleys...
Upon entering the garden, you have a view of the stairs leading up. The Egyptian obelisk is visible. For some reason, they have been very popular in Italy since the times of the ancient Romans.
We could have gone straight up, but we took the side path. It is said that the way a person walks through the Boboli Garden symbolizes his life's path, and the sculptures are clues.
This is the first high point, from which Florence is visible.
The center of the park is the Neptune fountain.
But first - the same view of the stairs, but now from top to bottom. The Pitti Palace is visible.
Next is the path to the top point, which also offers views of both Florence and the surrounding area. You need to go up to the right. If you go even higher and to the left, there will be the remains of the fortress that stood here before the gardens, and from it the view is even better. But I didn't go there.
We go out to an observation deck with a fountain. It's also turned off.
Monkeys are adorable.
Tuscany. These species are considered exemplary.
There is a porcelain gallery upstairs and in it there is a magnificent Venetian chandelier. After the climb, I had no time for porcelain. I thought that there was air conditioning in the room - screw you.
Cypress alley leads down.
How can you be deceived if you don’t see the picture from all sides (see picture below)!
From the middle of the alley we turned sideways. The paths are strewn with gravel that is too viscous - it is difficult to walk.
We went down, and there was a place called “The Island”.
Here they grow lemons in tubs. It would be possible to get to the island, but the entrance is locked. Apparently they are saving the harvest.
There are goats or something like that on the gate. Quite unusual for a classic style. Probably, the park was still understood as a bit of a joke.
The park ends with a grotto with artificial stalactites. So, there are 2 grottoes in the park: at the beginning and at the end. Maybe they should be understood as birth and death?
Every corner has something different.
I liked this sculpture from the back: it looks like a boy is peeping.
Classical sculpture.
And these sculptures are frozen in elaborate poses that signify something. It's a pity that we didn't have a guide.
Man's best friend is made with all realism.
The only fountain that worked (of those I saw).
You can study the clothes of the 16th century from the sculptures: as you can see, it was too early for boys of 5 years old to wear pants.
This is Pegasus on the mountain. Nearby is a bath from Roman thermal baths. There are many of them throughout the park. The same bathrooms are found in different places Rome. Did the Romans who washed in them think that these were objects of high art?
They say that this is the favorite dwarf of Cosimo de' Medici. This small sculpture is often shown as business card Boboli Garden, and it is located at the very exit, near the wall - you won’t even notice it right away.
The heron landed on Neptune's fountain. His name is "Neptune with a fork". For some reason the fountain has no water.
Pedophilia in its purest form
Square tree trunks
Modern sculpture is designed to completely decorate the garden.
This is a three-legged woman
These are apparently dogs. Or sheep?
Florence is an ideal city for lazy, unhurried walks, and a stroll to the famous Boboli Gardens would be a better time than ever. The Italians, as well as the Austrians, were extremely sensitive to the organization of parks and gardens for the ruling elite, so the court parks were not just green corners, but entire landscape masterpieces. One of these masterpieces is open to the public in Florence. Next, we’ll tell you how to get to the Boboli Gardens, how much a ticket costs and what the gardens’ opening hours are.
The Boboli Gardens, which are located a little further from Piazzio Pitti, are called the most beautiful park in all of Italy, and this park is quite large - 45 hectares or 0.45 km 2, and is located immediately behind the Pitti Palace.
Initially, the Pitti Palace served as the home of the Florentine banker Luca Pitti, but in the mid-16th century the palace was sold to the ruling Medici family, which organized the creation of pompous court gardens.
The gardens have become a typical example of Italian landscape art: the paths are connected into clear geometric shapes, and along the roads here and there sculptures and grottoes from the 16th-18th centuries are installed. and pompous flower beds are broken.
If during your walk you come across two strange semi-underground domes, then here is an explanation of why they were needed: previously such “devices” served as refrigerators. It was in these domes that meat and other products were stored, which were covered with ice brought from the nearby mountains.
From the heights of the gardens there is a stunning view of the city and the Arno River, from which a separate water supply system was laid to the gardens for irrigation and maintaining the operation of the fountains.
Because The gardens are quite large in area; we could talk at length about each individual part, but we will focus on three:
1) Amphitheater. As is already becoming clear, the Boboli Gardens were not just a green corner for the privacy of family members of the ruling dynasty, but also a unique Entertainment Center. The amphitheater, which regularly hosted theater and opera performances, was built on a special scale - an obelisk was even brought here from the Egyptian city of Luxor, one of the most important archaeological sites in Egypt.
2) Artificial island Izolotto. This island is located on a lake, separated from the rest of the garden by high oak hedges. The lake is connected to the “rest of the land” by two narrow bridges. In the center of the island there is a copy of the Ocean fountain (the original was previously in the amphitheater, and now it stands in the Bargello Museum), on top of which there is a sculpture of Neptune and 3 water deities, symbolizing the Nile, Ganges and Ephrata rivers.
3) Buontalenti Grotto. In general, in Tuscany in the 16th and 17th centuries, it was quite fashionable among the rich to complement their villas and palaces with luxurious gardens, and secluded grottoes were an integral part of them. Buontaletti's niches, both outside and inside, are decorated with hundreds of bizarre sculptures that, from a distance, resemble stone icicles along all the walls of the grotto.
Detailed map of Boboli Park English There is ,
How to get there
Near the gardens there are several bus stops along Via Romana (on routes D or 11), and there is a large junction near the Piazzale di Porta Romana roundabout bus stop(Porta Romana), through which routes 11, 12, 13, 36, 37, 38, 42, 131 and others run.
If you leave from Florence main station, you will need to take bus 11 to get to the Boboli Gardens directly. From other areas of the center, routes 12 and 13 go to the Boboli Gardens.
A bus ticket in Florence for 70 minutes costs 1.20 €, if you buy from the driver - 2 € for 90 minutes. All day ticket – 5€. Read more.
Ticket prices for the Boboli Gardens
In normal times, tickets for adults cost 7 €, for children – 3.5 €. During temporary exhibitions the price increases to 10€ and 5€ respectively. There is an opportunity to buy on site combined tickets to the Gardens + to the Silver Museum, the Porcelain Museum, the Costume Gallery or the Bardini Gardens.
Please note that the gardens are divided into free and restricted sections. When you purchase your ticket you will be given a map with all the directions.
Address: Piazza Pitti, 1, 50125 Firenze, Italy
Schedule: daily from 08:15 to 18:30