The Gherardesca Garden (Giardino della Gherardesca) is one of the largest private gardens in Florence, stretching on 4.5 hectares on the right bank of the Arno River. The historic trajectory of this garden began in the latter half of the 15th century, when Bartolomeo Scala assigned Giuliano da Sangallo to design his palace, the garden being a part of the property pertaining to the respective palace. Some two centuries later, the Medici family, by its representative Alessandro de Medici (back then, a cardinal), gained ownership over the garden which subsequently became the property of Constanza de Medici.

The latter married Count Guido Alberto della Gherardesca; hence, the name of the Garden. The count took the job of remodeling the garden extremely seriously, and decided to rebuild it in an English style, redesigning the lay-out and populating it with rarities in terms of species of plants. The greenery is pegged out by several small architectural structures, such as an Ionic temple and a tepidarium. Following the damages caused by World War Two, the garden was restored by Piero Porcinai and once again its past charm was unveiled. Given its statute of private garden, Giardino della Gherardesca is not opened to the public, but various scientific and cultural events are indeed held here. The Gherardesca Garden is bordered by 4 streets of Florence, namely, Via Gino Capponi, Via Giuseppe Giusti, Borgo Pinti and Viale Giacomo Matteotti.

Name:
Giardino della Gherardesca
Address:
99 Borgo Pinti, Florence