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Parks and Gardens in Florence
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Giardino dell'Orticoltura
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Phone: +39 055 48 0469
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 see map
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Nestled between Via Vittorio Emanuele and Via Bolognese, Florence's 19th-century Botanical Gardens are widely revered for their unique architecture. Commissioned by the Tuscan Horticultural Society, the building plans were executed by Giacomo Roster. Of particular note, not mentioning the various plant species, is the steel-framed glass pavilion, as well as a fountain.
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Garden of St Michael (Orsanmichele)
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Phone: +39 055 28 4944
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Erected on the site of the kitchen garden of the San Michele Monastery, this church was consecrated in the 14th Century to serve as a chapel for two of the city's influential guilds. The three-storey structure, apart from its religious purposes, used to serve as a grain market, and featured grain storehouses and offices for the guild representatives. Of particular interest here are the sculptures, installed here towards the end of the 14th Century, a Gothic Tabernacle with embedded precious stones, an old 'Madonna and Child' of unknown origin and 15th-century 'Saint Luke' by Giovanni Bologna.
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Florentine Neoplatonic Academy (Villa Medicea di C
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Phone: +39 0554277329
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see map
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Resting on the hilly side of Florence, this was the first of the Medici villas and the site of the Platonic academy, the brainchild of Cosimo de' Medici. Constructed by Michelozzo, the building has the features of a country castle with a Medieval garden. Having been occupied by many members of the Medici family, the site was eventually acquired by Vincenzo Orsi in the 18th Century. The successor of Vincenzo divested the property to Francis Sloane, and the new owner decorated the garden with Lebanese and Himalayan cedars, sequoias, palms and a variety of Mediterranean vegetation. The villa is currently owned by the Hospital of Careggi and can be visited upon request.
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