Piazzale Michelangelo | The Rose Garden (Giardino delle Rose), Florence

Giardino delle rose (The Rose Garden) is a garden park in the Oltrarno district of Florence. It is located below the Piazzale Michelangelo and offers a commanding view of the city.

The southern extremity of the historic centre of Florence, on the hydrographical left side of the Arno river, is bordered by a series of hills, known as Colli Fiorentini, which yield a suggestive panorama of the city with its artworks and monuments.
The San Miniato hill (also known as Monte alle Croci or Mons Florentinus) represents the most famous of these gentle heights, for its landscape significance and for the monuments of inestimable cultural, historic and artistic value [2]. Between 1865 and 1876, in coincidence with the designation of Florence as temporary capital of the Reign of Italy, the hill was involved in a radical town-planning transformation directed by the architect Giuseppe Poggi. On the San Miniato hill, Poggi designed the scenographical Viale dei Colli with its panoramic open squares, of which Piazzale Michelangelo is the most famous [2].
Along the Viale dei Colli Poggi provided some gardens with arbors and chalets that at the time offered "all kinds of recreation". One of these gardens was the Giardino delle rose (The Rose Garden).

The Rose Garden (Giardino delle Rose)

The garden is situated on the southern slopes of the Monte alle Croci overlooking the river Arno and the central historic district of Florence on its north bank. It is bounded to the south west by the pedestrian Scalea del Monte alle Croci from which it is accessed. A second pedestrian access is from the Viale Giuseppe Poggi in the eastern end of the upper garden. Vehicular access is also from this road but further down the hill. It forms part of a cluster of major attractions to the south east of the city on the slopes of Monte alle Croci which also include the Giardino dell'Iris, Piazzale Michelangelo and the churches of San Salvatore al Monte and San Miniato al Monte. The Piazzale Michelangelo can be accessed from the top garden exit by crossing the Viale Giuseppe Poggi and walking up the ramp on the opposite side.

[1]

In 1998, the garden gained a Japanese Shorai oasis, donated by Yasuo Kitayama and the K?dai-ji Zen temple by Florence's twin city of Kyoto. [3] Since September 2011 the garden has hosted twelve sculptures by the Belgian artist Jean-Michel Folon, donated by his widow to the municipality of Florence. The mediocre sculptures lack personality and the imaginative power and creative impulse that suit this location.

Map of the Rose Garden | Enlarge map

Originally open only in May, it is now open all year round from 9am to sunset (8pm May–September, 6pm October, March and April, and 5pm November–February) except Christmas Day and New Year's Day. The best time to visit the garden to enjoy its beauty is in the spring when the roses are at their best.

From the garden you can enjoy the most beautiful panorama of the city, with views of the Ponte Vecchio, the Duomo Santa Maria del Fiore, the Uffizi, Santa Croce and the Palazzo Vecchio.

Giardino delle rose, with incredible views over Florence [1]
Giuseppe Poggi and the urban renewal of Florence
Giuseppe Poggi (3 April 1811 – 19 March 1901) was an Italian architect, mainly active in Tuscany. A native of Florence, he received numerous commissions from the city's upper bourgeoisie for renovations of palaces and gardens. The viale dei Colli From 1864 he designed the city's urban renovation, which included the demolition of the walls, and the creation of the Viali di Circonvallazione to encircle the city. At the sites of the former gates of the city, he created scenographic squares, such as the Piazza Cesare Beccaria and the Piazza della Libertà. He later designed the viale dei Colli, a panoramic walk ending with the Piazzale Michelangelo. The architect meticulously described the viale dei Colli in the seventh chapter of his report on the extension of Florence. He deliberately designed picturesque effects, right down to the promenade to the church of San Miniato al Monte and the Cimitero delle Porte Sante cemetery. The Piazzale Michelangelo has been conceived as the highlight of the Viale dei Colli. Along the walking route, which has a slope between 1 and 3.8%, Poggi provided some gardens with arbors and chalets that at the time offered "all kinds of recreation". One of these gardens was the Giardino delle rose (The Rose Garden). Giuseppe Poggi died at Florence in 1901.		Viale dei Colli and panorama of Florence in a nineteenth-century photo
Florence, Photo gallery

Piazzale Michelangelo [Magnificent View on Ponte Vecchio]	Piazzale Michelangelo, con veduta del Duomo di Santa Maria del Fiore	Panoramic view from Piazzale Michelangelo on Santa Croce

Piazzale Michelangelo	Piazzale Michelangelo, con veduta del Ponte Vecchio e di Palazzo Vecchio	Piazzale Michelangelo al tramonto, con veduta del Duomo di Santa Maria del Fiore, degli Uffizi, di Santa Croce e di Palazzo Vecchio

San Miniato al Monte, Cimitero Porte Sante	Giardino delle rose, Firenze	San Miniato al Monte


Strolling in Florence \| Walk from Ponte Vecchio to Piazzale Michelangelo Beautiful walk in one of the most authentic neighborhoods of Firenze, San Niccolò. The atmosphere of an authentic Florentine neighborhood still remains here.
		Giardino Bardini, View east inbetween Porta San Niccolo and Piazzale Michelangelo
Transport Timetables and routes - ATAF \| Map You can view the bus routes at the Florence transit site: www.ataf.net/en/ataf.aspx?idC=2&LN=en-US
		Bus trasport in Florence
Bibliography Rinaldi, Niccolò (2012). "Rose Garden". Secret Florence. trans. Jeremy Scott (2 ed.). Versailles: JonGlez. p. 286. ISBN 9782361950446. Agostini, G. & Casagli, Nicola & Delmonaco, Giuseppe & Fanti, Riccardo & Focardi, P. & Margottini, Claudio. (2002). Landslide Monitoring and Cultural Heritage At Risk: The Case Study of San Miniato Hill In Florence. "Giardino delle Rose". Diladdarno: Firenze oltre il fiume. Retrieved 19 May 2016. Montanari, Laura (29 September 2011). "Nel giardino delle visioni l'ultimo desiderio di Folon". Repubblica (in Italian).
[1] Foto di Sailko, licenziato in base ai termini della licenza Creative Commons Attribuzione-Condividi allo stesso modo 3.0 Unported [2] Agostini, G. & Casagli, Nicola & Delmonaco, Giuseppe & Fanti, Riccardo & Focardi, P. & Margottini, Claudio. (2002). Landslide Monitoring and Cultural Heritage At Risk: The Case Study of San Miniato Hill In Florence. [3] Rinaldi, Niccolò (2012). "Rose Garden". Secret Florence. trans. Jeremy Scott (2 ed.). Versailles: JonGlez. p. 286. ISBN 9782361950446.

Piazzale Michelangelo | The Rose Garden (Giardino delle Rose), Florence

Giuseppe Poggi and the urban renewal of Florence