Giardino Bardini: The Wisteria Tunnel Above the Arno
Why is it significant?
Climb the terraces until you reach the long pergola at the top and walk under it: a tunnel of twisted grey trunks and, in late April, a ceiling of hanging lilac flowers so thick that the light turns violet and the air smells of honey. Bees drone overhead.
Key Facts
| Place | Giardino Bardini: The Wisteria Tunnel Above the Arno |
|---|---|
| Address | Costa San Giorgio 2, 50125 Firenze FI, Italy |
| Geo Coordinates | 43.76420, 11.25710 |
| Part of Walk | Florence's Green Hill: Bardini Garden, San Miniato & Piazzale Michelangelo |
| Generated | Generated |
Climb the terraces until you reach the long pergola at the top and walk under it: a tunnel of twisted grey trunks and, in late April, a ceiling of hanging lilac flowers so thick that the light turns violet and the air smells of honey. Bees drone overhead. Below you, framed by leaves, lies the whole of Florence.
This hillside has been a garden for a very long time. In the Middle Ages it was the orchard of the Mozzi, a family of bankers who lived in the palace at the foot of the hill. In the seventeenth century a villa was built at the top, and in 1913 the whole estate was bought by Stefano Bardini, the antique dealer whose museum you just passed. He reshaped it as a setting for his business, of course, with statues and balustrades to impress his clients.
Look down the slope at the baroque staircase cutting straight through the middle of the garden, with its fountains and mosaics of pebbles, aimed directly at the Arno. On one side the garden is formal and Italian, on the other a shady English wood, and lower down there is an orchard with old varieties of fruit trees. In early summer, hydrangeas take over from the wisteria and the terraces turn blue.
It almost disappeared. After Bardini's son Ugo died in 1965, the property passed to the Italian state, and for decades it was tangled in lawsuits and slowly went wild. Only after a long restoration did the garden open to the public, in 2007.
Before you leave, find the belvedere and look across: the dome of the cathedral seems close enough to touch, and the bell towers line up like chess pieces. Many Florentines think this view is better than the famous one you will see later, because here you are inside the city, not above it. Leave by the upper gate onto Costa San Giorgio, the steep lane behind the villa, and walk uphill.