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The Gardens of Florence - Stibbert Park
At
the moment of his death, English entrepreneur and collector, Frederick Stibbert
(1838-1906) left to the municipality of Florence his villa containg a spectacular
collection of more than 50,000 objects: armors, weapons, porcelains, furniture,
jewelry, paintings, sculptures and much more. This property included also a
beautiful park with sculptures, little temples, grottoes and a lemon house.
Of particular interest
are the two small temples: the Hellenistic one with a central plan with a tiled
dome in majolica and one in neo-Egyptian style, with
sphinxes and frescoes, built
between 1862 and 1864 following the taste for Egyptomania of the time.In the past, one of the small lakes in the park, be crossed by
rowing boat, today it is home of many aquatic plants, goldfish and turtles.
The rich vegetation of the park is constituted by plants such as pines, holm
oaks, horse chestnuts, lindens, on which splendid cypresses, and specimens of
Greek strawberry tree.
The Stibbert park is
indeed very unique and eccentric, just like the museum itself and their founder,
perfect to spend a quiet evening far from the hustle and bustle of the city
center.
Park
opening hours:
April-October
8.00-19.00
November-March
8.00-17.00
Closed
every Thursday, January 1st, Easter Sunday, May 1st, August 15th, December
25th.