Villa Gamberaia Garden

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This relatively small property (about 2.4 acres) is packed with an architectural and landscaping heritage from the XVII to the XX century and offers some spectacular views of the city of Florence and the Arno River valley.
The villa was finished in 1610 and used by the Lapi family until it was eventually sold to the Capponi marquises. The new owners expanded the garden adding statues and fountains. At the beginning of the last century, it was purchased by a Russian lady, Giovanna Ghyka, who dedicated part of her life to the transformation of the already famous garden, enriching the austere evergreen plant with colourful roses and flowers; she eventually transformed the XVIII century garden into an Italian one featuring eye-catching sights in front of the villa and several ponds bordered by pruned boxwood. The longitudinal axis of the garden consists of a large lawned avenue reaching a bas-relief nymphaeum. Along the horizontal axis, at the intersection with the main one, there is a cabin decorated with statues, several water features and four valuable symmetrical stairways that lead to two-centuries-old holm oak woods (Quercus ilex). There is also a lemon grove with peony trees and “Albértine” rose espaliers.

This garden used to be an important example of perfect architecture inspiring two great contemporary landscape architects: Geoffrey Jellicoe, who took care of restoring the garden of Sutton Place (England) and Pietro Porcinai, a native of Settignano and the son of a gardener from Gamberaia.

This post is also available in: Italiano (Italian)