 
After five years of restoration work and investment of nearly EUR 13 million by the Cassa di Risparmio di Firenze bank, the 14th century Villa Bardini has been returned to its former glory. In June, it reopened its 60 rooms and halls, including a 100-seater conference room, to the public.
The complex, comprising the villa and the park, adjoins Fort Belvedere, and from the summit of Costa San Giorgio dominates the San Niccolò district below, offering a breathtaking view of the centre of Florence. Villa Bardini is just 15 minutes walk through the historic centre from Santa Maria Novella railway station.
The villa, 60 rooms and halls covering a total of 3,800 sqm on four floors, houses the Bardini and Peyron Monumental Parks Foundation, the museum of fashion designer Roberto Capucci, the museum of contemporary artist Pietro Annigoni (from spring 2008) and the Tuscan Society of Horticulture.
The four-hectare park contains a box office and bookshop, the Belvedere lodge (100 sqm) and two lemon houses (300 sqm) now a space for exhibitions and conferences. The park is one of the stops on a tour of Florence’s historic gardens among the 14th century walls south of the city: from Porta Romana to Palazzo Pitti, through the Boboli gardens and the Cavaliere garden, up to Fort Belvedere.
By the end of the year, Villa Bardini will open an elegant restaurant for working lunches and gala dinners, with up to 250 covers, which will also extend to the two lemon houses.
November 2007 |
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