Garden of Villa Bardini – Florence

A 4-hectare historic garden with a breathtaking view over Florence. Open all year long

Bardini Garden is a historical park of about 4 hectares in Florence, on Montecuccoli hill and it first belonged to the Mozzi since the Middle Ages: there is also a document referring to a garden in that area as far back as 1259.

The actual shape, luxuriant and eclectic, is due to Stefano Bardini, passionate antiquarian who bought the garden in 1913 and turned it into his spectacular open-air showroom with more than two hundred statues and furnishings.
Acquired by the Municipality of Florence at the end of the last century, the garden has been thoroughly restored with the introduction of fruit trees and ornamental plants.

The baroque staircase is architecturally the most interesting part of Bardini Garden. It is very scenographic and offers a breathtaking view of the city. In the surroundings, there are six fountains decorated with mosaics.

In the botanical section, there are numerous irises and roses that every year in May give splendid colorful and scenographic blooms, as well as pink, 60 varieties of white and blue hydrangeas creating interesting splashes of color, azaleas with bright colors, viburnums, camellias, and the orchard with a large collection of trees with typical Tuscan ancient fruits.

A wisteria tunnel leads from the orchard to the “Belvedere” area wherein spring visitors can enjoy camellias blooming. Not far away is the Chinese corner with some restored waterways, and along the Dragon Channel there is an important collection of azaleas getting richer and richer every year.

Two caves can be found during the visit: a simple one, very similar to a natural cave, is located next to the Kaffeehaus, similar to the one in Boboli garden; and another more decorated and eclectic looking.
In the lower part of the garden, there is also a green theater created in the midst of vegetation.

A visitor commented: “I didn’t expect it. This garden is little known and therefore not crowded, but it is beautiful, cheerful and surprising. And above all, it offers an amazing view of Florence. It is absolutely worth a visit. ”

The prestigious “European Garden Heritage Network” (EGHN) inserted Bardini Garden in the selection of the gardens to visit in Europe.

Today it is managed by Polo Museale Fiorentino and it can be visited in conjunction with the Boboli Gardens with a one-entry ticket.

USEFUL INFORMATION
Opening hours: everyday from 10 am to 8 pm
Entrance with a fee>>>
For more information please call +39 055 26 38 599

DO YOU LOVE GARDENS?
See further interesting gardens that you can visit in Italy. Some are also real open-air museums >>>

Photos from the Facebook page of the garden

In August Villa Bardini usually hosts the culture festival “The City of Readers”>>>