Giardino delle Rose, Florence

Giardino delle Rose is a terraced garden park, created by the architect Giuseppe Poggi in 1865. It lies beneath Piazzale Michelangelo and opens onto a commanding panorama of Florence. The garden occupies about 1 ha, with its stepped ground once reshaped by Attilio Pucci for a collection of roses.

In 1998, a Japanese Shorai oasis was added through a gift from Kyoto and the Kōdai-ji Zen temple. Since September 2011, the terraces have also displayed twelve sculptures by Belgian artist Jean-Michel Folon, including Partir, Chat-oiseau, and L’envol. The garden began welcoming the public in 1895 during Florence’s Arts and Flowers Festival, held each May. Its unusual character comes from this meeting of cultivated roses, Japanese design, and outdoor sculpture.