Bardini Garden (Giardino Bardini)

The Basics

Bardini Garden is best known for its Italian Renaissance style and meandering walkways lined with floral displays, benches, picnic areas, and vistas. Keep an eye out for the garden’s two defining features: a baroque staircase and a photo-worthy canopy of purple wisteria. Both lead to the 17th-century Bardini Villa, which now houses temporary cultural exhibitions, a museum dedicated to Florentine painter Pietro Annigoni, and La Loggia café.

Book a walking tour of Bardini Garden for local insight into its 900 years of history and design, as well as the families who once owned and gardened its grounds. Combined walking tours of the Bardini and Boboli gardens save time and money, while private tours of the city’s many gardens offer a more intimate and comprehensive perspective of Florence.

Things to Know Before You Go

• Plenty of space to play and picnic makes Bardini Garden a popular destination for visiting and local families.

• Avoid the crowds at Piazzale Michelangelo and head to Bardini Garden for an alternative panoramic view of Florence.

• Save time and money on admission when you purchase a combined Boboli and Bardini gardens ticket.

• La Loggia di Villa Bardini, open from April to October, offers a range of light meal options on a terrace overlooking the city.

• While the garden grounds are not suitable for wheelchairs, the villa and café are wheelchair accessible; call in advance for assistance.

How to Get There

Florence’s Bardini Garden is a 10-minute walk from the Ponte Vecchio and a 5-minute walk from the Boboli Gardens, and is best accessed on foot. The garden has two entrances: one on Via de' Bardi if walking from the Ponte Vecchio or Arno River, and the other on Costa San Giorgio if walking from Pitti Palace and the Boboli Gardens. Alternatively, take bus 23 to Ponte Alle Grazie. If driving, free parking is available at Fort Belvedere.

When to Get There

Bardini Garden rarely feels overly crowded. The garden and café are open daily from 8:15am until early evening (closing times are seasonal; check online before your visit) and are closed on the first and last Monday of every month. While stunning views of the city are accessible year-round, the famed wisteria canopy is in full bloom from mid-April to early May.

The Bardini Namesake

Florentine connoisseur and art dealer Stefano Bardini rescued the garden’s grounds from ruin in the late 19th century. Known to his friends as a connoisseur with an eye for eccentric art, Bardini dedicated his life to collecting antiques and artifacts that he mixed and matched into unchronological displays. Stop at the museum on Via dei Renai before heading up to Bardini’s villa and the grounds he carefully restored to natural beauty.

Ways to explore

The Bardini Garden is the backyard of the 17th-century Villa Bardini, not to be missed for its elegant architecture and ever-changing art exhibitions. Tickets for the site also include the neighboring Boboli Gardens, and you can easily visit both on a sunny day in Florence.

Book a walking tour of the Bardini and Boboli Gardens to learn more about the Florentine families who once owned the grounds. To pair the outdoor beauty with indoor artistic masterpieces, get a combination pass for the gardens and Pitti Palace, filled with sculptures and paintings collected by the Medicis.

Accessibility

While there’s an accessible entrance to the Bardini Garden, the gravel paths may be hard to navigate in a wheelchair.

Age limits

None

What to pack

Water, camera, sunscreen, picnic

What to wear

Dress for the weather and wear comfortable walking shoes to explore the 10-acre (4-hectare) garden on foot.

Not allowed

Pets (besides service animals), veering off marked visiting paths

Amenities

Café and restaurant, restrooms

Address

Located in Florence’s Oltrarno neighborhood, the garden’s main entrance is on Costa San Giorgio, a short but steep walk from the Ponte Vecchio. Or, access the entrance from the Boboli Gardens by exiting on Via del Forte di San Giorgio.

Driving

It is not recommended for visitors to self-navigate in Florence, where parking is limited and many streets are pedestrian-only. Fortunately, taxis can drop you off right outside the Bardini Garden.

Public transportation

While there’s no bus that stops at the top of the Villa Bardini hill, you can get close by taking the C1 bus from the Florence Duomo area to Santa Maria Soprarno.

Best times to visit

Enjoy the garden during the cooler, quieter morning hours, before the afternoon crowds descend on the winding paths.

Best days to visit

The garden is busiest on weekends, so head there from Monday–Friday for a more peaceful experience.

Best months to visit

The garden and views are stunning year-round, but the famous wisteria pergola is best seen when the spring flowers are in bloom from April–May.

Special events

The Bardini Garden turns into a very scenic outdoor movie theater from July–August, when movies (usually in Italian) play on select nights for the Cinema in Villa festival.