Today we found ourselves strolling through Boboli and Bardini Gardens on the south side of the Arno River. We were supposed to get rain a lot today but it held off till late afternoon and only sprinkled. We had perfect weather for our garden visits. Professor Brad Collett gave a short instruction on sketching and understanding how to set up perspective views.
We then scattered to our corners of the Boboli garden. The Boboli Gardens host numerous sculptures from the 16th through the 18th century. The gardens served as a private estate for the Medici family and as their main home. Grottos, sculptures, obelisks, lawns, rose gardens, and more are all found on the property. The entire property is peppered with intersecting allees and secluded paths. One of the more successful aspects of the designs is the ability to create spaces which allow privacy from those around you. Bardini Gardens was a smaller better equally pleasing garden. It hosts some of the best views of the city from its terraced plazas. The gardens have a great variety of azaleas, ferns, viburnums, camellias, and fruits.
This evening we enjoyed the Gelato festival downtown and ate at the local eateries, visited the Accademia to check out Michelangelo's David statue, visited Piazza Michelangelo, climbed the tower at the tower for the Duomo, and basically walked mile after mile of main streets and side streets.
Tomorrow we will be visiting Villa Gamberaia & Villa Caio Duilio.
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