Florence - Giadino de Boboli & Palazzo Pitti

David and Susan have just arrived home from France for a holiday - its a stark reminder that I am way behind with my blog, so will at least attempt to finish my Mediterranean holiday.

(28.12.2009)

Boboli Garden is Florence's principal park and one of Italy's largest gardens. Work began on the garden in 1549 and it was opened to the public in 1766. Its a very large space and covers quite a high hill (which I walked up and the view from the top is breathtaking!) with lakes, fountains and like the rest of Florence, many statues, but the main sights are the fort and a grotto.

Palazzo Pitti which is adjacent to the gardens was the seat of power for centuries. Florence was actually the capital of Italy from 1865-70 but today the palace serves as a vast museum complex with Galleria Palatina within the palace, second only to the Uffizi in terms of the quality of its paintings.
From there, I wish I'd counted the steps up to Piazzale Michelangelo from Piazza Poggi - we intended to watch the sun set on our last day in Florence but instead we took our photo's under umbrella's.