Formal gardens of Tuscany

Visitors to Tuscany with an interest in art and architecture should try to set aside a day and join garden enthusiasts visiting one or more of the formal giardini all'italiana, public and private, for which Tuscany is famous. The Tuscan formal garden is an integral part of villa architecture - a kind of extension of the villa itself, mediating the transition from villa interior to the cultivated and then the untouched land that, according to classical and Renaissance ideals, should form a panoramic view from the villa. Several of the Medicean villas around Florence had splendid gardens and there are other Renaissance villa gardens as well as some 20 C gardens created in the Renaissance style that are accessible to the public. The Villa Medici at Fiesole is the classic example. Our Directory of Tuscan Gardens will help you choose which gardens to visit.

Within Florence there are numerous formal gardens, often hidden behind high walls and open on only a few days a year, but the most spectacular of them all, the Boboli Garden, is open to the public all year round and can easily be incorporated into a visit to the Pitti palace. Pack a lunch and take the time to enjoy the Boboli. Another public garden to visit within Florence is the recently-restored Bardini Garden with its magnificent views out over Florence. Be warned that it's quite steep if you start from the bottom!

Travel Guide for Visitors to the Chianti in Tuscany, Italy.