Asplendid secret garden has just been returned to the inhabitants of the city and visiting tourists. Up until now very few people have had the privilege of enjoying its beauty.

The Gardens of Palazzo Vegni occupy one and a half hectares of land planted with coppices and olive groves, topped by a panoramic terrace. They date from 1292 and, according to some historic documents, once belonged to the Gianni family, who joined three 14th century houses together to create Palazzo della Torre, later purchased by the Vegni family whose name it still bears.

The house owes its present aspect to a series of structural alterations carried out in the 16th and 18th centuries, among them the monumental staircase by Giulio Parigi (1624). More radical changes were made during the palace's restructuring under architect Giuseppe Martelli and Engineer A.Vegni during the 19th century, which gave it the facade we see today. Today the palace contains a nursery school, the University departments of Architecture and Psychology and various rented appartments.

The Commission for the Structure of the Territory, under its president Costanza Geddes da Filicaia, started to restore the abandoned garden in 1996 when it became part of Quarter 1 property. Thanks to the constant dedication of the Quarter's staff and gardeners and the help of the Auser pensioners, it has been regularly kept up ever since and can now open to the public, hopefully on a regular basis. Fulltime opening after September 17th now depends on the response of the public.
Gardens of
Palazzo Vegni

Palazzo Vegni-Gianni-Leonetti
Via San Niccolò, 89a
Hours: Saturday and Sunday 9.30am-7pm (June 17th-September 17th). Also open at the same times on Thursdays in July and August
Entrance free
www.comune.firenze.it
[Susan Glasspool]

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http://www.comune.firenze.it

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