Basilica di San Miniato al Monte — iWikimedia Commons (Public domain)

Ready-made walk · Florence

Gardens and Views above the Arno

8 stops · ~1 hr 30 min · 3.8 km

Gardens & Views

A hillside walk through Florence’s green side, from the Medici terraces of the Boboli Gardens up to Forte di Belvedere and down through Giardino Bardini. Then climb past Torre San Niccolò, the rose and iris gardens and Giuseppe Poggi’s Piazzale Michelangiolo to San Miniato al Monte, with sweeping views over the city.

The stops, in walking order

iWikimedia Commons (Public domain)
Stop 1: Basilica di San Miniato al Monte
~15 min here
San Miniato al Monte is a basilica set on one of Florence’s highest points, with a geometric marble façade and an adjoining Olivetan monastery.
iOlga (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Stop 2: Il Giardino Dell'Iris
~3 min here
Il Giardino Dell'Iris is a botanical garden dedicated to cultivating iris flowers, which have represented Florence since 1251.
iMichael Wittwer (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Stop 3: Piazzale Michelangiolo
~3 min here
Piazzale Michelangiolo is a broad terrace built for a sweeping view across Florence.
iSailko (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Stop 4: Giardino delle Rose
~3 min here
Giardino delle Rose is a terraced garden park, created by the architect Giuseppe Poggi in 1865.
iSailko (CC BY 3.0)
Stop 5: Torre San Niccolò
~3 min here
Torre San Niccolò is a city gate that now reads as a tall, solitary tower in Piazza Giuseppe Poggi.
iFrancesco Bini (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Stop 6: Giardino Bardini
~3 min here
Giardino Bardini is a historic garden belonging to Villa Bardini, spread across the hills of Florence’s Oltrarno.
iSailko (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Stop 7: Forte di Belvedere
~3 min here
Forte di Belvedere is a fortress built to guard Florence, and its terraces now open a celebrated view across the city.
iDiego Delso (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Stop 8: Giardino di Boboli
~3 min here
Giardino di Boboli is the extensive park created for the Medici residence at Palazzo Pitti, and its terraces now form an open-air collection of sculpture, fountains, and grottoes.