Boboli Gardens

Laid out for the Medici on the hillside behind Palazzo Pitti from the mid-16th century, the Boboli Gardens (Giardino di Boboli) became a model for the formal court gardens later built across Europe. The design was begun by Niccolò Tribolo and developed over generations by architects including Bartolomeo Ammannati and Bernardo Buontalenti. The gardens form part of the Uffizi Galleries.

The collection numbers around 150 works, much of it sculpture set outdoors among terraces, fountains and clipped hedges. Highlights include the amphitheatre behind the palace with its ancient Egyptian obelisk, and Buontalenti's Grotta Grande, encrusted with artificial stalactites. Farther on, the cypress-lined Viottolone avenue descends to the Isolotto, an island pool with a fountain of Oceanus. Near the entrance, the Bacchus Fountain shows the Medici court dwarf Morgante astride a turtle.

The grounds are large and steep, with gravel paths and long climbs, so comfortable shoes help. Most visitors spend at least a couple of hours here, and the upper terraces give wide views over Florence.