Villa Bardini: art and wisteria

Villa Bardini is undoubtedly one of the most spectacular exhibition spaces in Florence, as well as a beautiful green lung of the city.
It was originally Villa Manadora, built for Francesco Manadori in 1641 on a pre-existing medieval building.
The property is located on the slope of the hill that descends towards the Lungarni Torrigiani and Serristori, this makes it possible to enjoy a spectacular view of the city, which is the reason why it was also called Villa Belvedere.
The villa was passed on to several owners throughout the years, and the land, initially used for agricultural crops, was finally transformed into a wonderful Italian garden.
In the twentieth century the owner was collector Stefano Bardini who made it the museum villa that we know today.
Upon Stefano's death, the property passed to his son Ugo, who left the villa and its park to the city of Florence.
After a long period of restoration carried out by the Bardini and Peyron Monumental Parks Foundation together with the CR Firenze Foundation, it was reopened to the public in 2006.

Today the property includes a space for temporary exhibitions, the Bardini Museum and three gardens: the Italian garden with its baroque staircase, the English wood and the agricultural park where the famous wisteria pergola is located.
The villa has sixty rooms, and in addition to the exhibition venues, it also hosts conference spaces and restoration services, the offices of the Bardini and Peyron Monumental Parks Foundation and the Tuscan Horticulture Society.

The strong point of Villa Bardini is certainly the park, which can be visited with the same ticket as the Boboli Gardens and which in spring lights up purple with the flowering of the wisteria that covers the long pergola leading to the Loggia del Belvedere, a destination for photographers and tourists looking for the perfect shot to post on social media.
The the number one attraction of the villa in spring is in fact the wisteria, a flower with an ancient history that seems to have been brought to Italy from China by Marco Polo.
To be able to admire this spectacular flowering it is necessary to visit the park between April and May.