The Not So Secret Gardens
- ciara garza
- Jun 7, 2023
- 4 min read
By Ciara Garza
Florence is full of amazing architecture and scenery; it is one of the many reasons why a person wants to visit Florence. Two pieces of scenery that are especially well known are the Bardini Gardens and the Boboli Gardens. Jordan Jett describes the gardens as “very green, vertical, layered, and beautiful with a breathtaking view.”
The History of The Medici Family
The Medici Family, also known as the House of Medici, is powerful in 13th century Florence. Hannah Chapman describes the Medici family, “They were quite powerful.” The Medici family gained their power and wealth through their success in commerce and banking.
The dynasty began with Cosimo de Medici. He rose to political power in 1434 and became Florence’s uncrowned monarch for the rest of his life. He was known as Cosimo the Elder. He lived the life of a spartan but was devoted to the humanities. He supported artists like Donatello and Lorenzo Ghiberti. Throughout Cosimo’s time ruling and his son's time ruling the Italian Renaissance flourished. That led Florence to become the cultural center of Europe.
Lorenzo de Medici, the son of Cosimo de Medici, rose to power once his father died. He was known as Lorenzo the Magnificent. He was a poet and like his father supported the humanities. He supported the work of Renaissance masters such as Michelangelo, Sandro Botticelli, and Leonardo de Vinci. He died prematurely at the age of 43 and had Piero (his oldest son) take over, but shortly after his son was kicked out of rule after 2 years. He made the people angry, got forced out of the city in 1494, and died in exile.
In 1512, due to the efforts of Giovanni (Piero’s younger brother), the Medici family was able to return to Florence after the exile. Giovanni became Pope Leo X and the few years after 1512 became high points in the influences that the Medici family has on Europe. Leo X followed in Cosimo’s humanistic footsteps and became devoted to artistic patronage.
Catherine de Medici is the daughter of Piero’s son (Lorenzo). She became queen of France after she married King Henry II. Giulio de Medici, the illegitimate son of Giuliano (Lorenzo the Magnificent’s brother) took control of the power in 1523 and became Pope Clement VII. Alessandro (Giulio’s illegitimate son) ruled for a short amount of time. It didn’t last very long because in 1537 he was assassinated.
The descendants if Lorenzo the Elder (Cosimo the Elder’s brother) came forward and launched a new Medici dynasty. The new dynasty included dukes, rulers, queens, and founders all with a relation to the Medici family. That restored their family’s power for at least a little while.
Boboli Gardens
The Boboli Gardens is an open aired museum. It consists of various sculptures and plants. The Boboli Gardens is an example of green architecture. Boboli Gardens inspired many royal European gardens, including Versailles. It was passed from owner to owner eventually ending up in the Medici family. The gardens took 400 years to develop, starting in the 15th century and going to the 19th century. The gardens were placed behind the Oltrarno by the Borgolo family, which could be where the Boboli name came from. In 1418, Luca Pitti purchased the property and then in 1549, the property was purchased by Eleonora di Toledo, the wife of Cosimo 1. Which expanded and ended up being the Medici family’s residence.
The original plan for the gardens was done by Niccolὸ Tribolo but was completed in 1550 by Giorgio Vasari, Bartolomeo Ammannati, and Bernardo Buontalenti due to Tribolo’s death. Throughout the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, the Medici family and Lorraine family continued expanding the gardens till they became the outdoor museum that we know it as today. Throughout the gardens the type of statues that are represented are Roman and Renaissance type.
Bardini Gardens
The Bardini Gardens is one of the most scenic and photogenic gardens in the city of Florence. It is located only a few hundred meters from the back of the Boboli Gardens. This garden is less crowded than the other one, but the view is just as breathtaking as Boboli. There are not many places in Florence where one can go to get privacy, but the Bardini Gardens is one of those places. In the Springtime it is especially beautiful because it is full of flowers.
The Mozzi family were the original owners of the property. It was the family’s palace complex located on Montecuccoli Hill. The property was owned on and off by the Mozzi family, until the end of the 19th century. In 1913, Stafano Bardini purchased the gardens and altered the landscape making it look how it does today. He made Montecuccoli Hill into an outdoor showroom. In the 1960s, the gardens became abandoned.
In 2000, the garden closed for 5 years due to the attempt to preserve the earlier version of the garden, mix it with a traditional Tuscan landscape, and too plant several different plants. A very popular attraction that was restored included the Baroque staircase. The restoration of the garden cost about 12 million euros, but it kept the beautiful landscape and kept parts of the past alive. Due to the closing for those 5 years, the garden has not been as well populated making it more secluded and peaceful.
The Bardini Gardens is a secluded garden where you can go and get some peace and quiet. While the Boboli Gardens is more populated and full of life. The two gardens may be different but both of them have breathtaking views of Florence and outstanding scenery throughout the gardens both representing an outdoor museum with all the statues. Jordan Jett talks about what his favorite part of the gardens is. He says, “This view is amazing. The ability to see over the entire city and look out that.” Alex Watts also talks about his favorite part of the gardens. He says, “The views. You’ve got some very good views of the main bit of Florence. That’s probably the best part.” The gardens attract people from all over to see the beautiful scenery and the overview of Florence. Each garden has an important history that led to them too becoming a well-known attraction in Florence.
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