Ninety seconds on Giardino delle Rose
Worth the climb from the river, this terraced garden below Piazzale Michelangelo gives you the whole historic centre of Florence behind a foreground of roses.
Roses fill the terraces, several hundred varieties of them, grown among lemon trees and other plants on about one hectare of hillside. The garden lies inside the UNESCO World Heritage area of central Florence, so the beds and the city below share one protected landscape.
The bronzes are by the Belgian artist Jean-Michel Folon, given to the city by his widow. They are scattered along the paths, human figures with bird heads and floating shapes that invite a second look. Partir is the best known, and its open silhouette frames the Florence skyline.
The Japanese corner is a separate, quieter space of winding paths and subtle planting, given by Kyoto, Florence's twin city, in 1998. It feels calm against the noise of the city below, and it makes a good place to sit after the rose beds.
At the main gate, scan the QR code by the entrance with your phone to open the garden's sensory route. Bring earphones if you want to listen to its content as you walk.
Work uphill from the main gate, terrace by terrace. Leave the main path to find the bronzes among the rose beds, and look for the Japanese corner on the way up.
On a hot day, stop in the shade of the lemon trees and cypresses before the last climb. Leave by the small upper gate onto Viale Giuseppe Poggi, cross the road and walk up the ramp opposite to reach Piazzale Michelangelo.
Bring water in the warmer months: there are toilets on site, but do not count on a café. The approach is uphill and some paths are uneven, so flat soles with grip help.
Come early in the morning for soft light and quiet paths, when you may share them with a gardener trimming the roses. In summer the roses fade and the sun is hard, so avoid the middle of the day.
Autumn brings fewer flowers and a calmer garden, and winter has no roses at all, so judge a visit then by the view rather than the beds.
Explore the rest of Florence
A terrace on the south bank of the Arno with the whole historic centre of Florence below it, a walk up the Rampe del Poggi from the river.…
Come in April or May for the wisteria tunnel in flower; the rest of the year you come for the Baroque staircase, the fountains and the…
The only bridge in Florence the retreating German army left standing in 1944, lined with goldsmiths and jewellers since a Medici decree…