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Lower formal garden

The most iconic elements in all Italian Renaissance Gardens are the geometric box hedge parterres or formal plant beds. As you move up the slope along one of the walls, you will see the pattern of boxwood hedging which repeats the triangles of the entrance vestibule pavement. This is where the design of the Horti is most extraordinary. Instead of the orthogonal rectilinear pattern as could be seen in all of the gardens at the time, we see a pattern of triangles forming a distorted hexagon.

In plan one can see this unusual pattern. Once again, the garden shows geometries not seen before in gardens of the period. The Horti's design shows the garden style pushed towards the Mannerist-Baroque era where geometries become distorted, pulled away from squares, circles, and other regular forms. This shows up most clearly in the hexagon of the central hedge layout. Instead of an equal sided polygon we see a stretched out version of one. While walking the paths to explore this green oasis, note that all plantings are all evergreen: the Oak trees, the Box hedges, and the lawn. These plantings are part of the classic Italian Renaissance style, which includes creating a green oasis in all seasons.

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6

Lower formal garden

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1

Main Gate at Piazza Centrale and entry vestibule

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2

Central axial path that links entire garden

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3

Statue of Granduca Cosimo III de' Medici

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4

The "Palazzetta" inserted into the 13th Century fortress walls

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5

Belvedere - View of the garden

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6