Three Grottoes in the Boboli Gardens, Florence

The Boboli Gardens have several grottoes or man-made caves, besides the well-known Buontalenti Grotto, which I will cover in another posting. Of varying sizes, they are usually sculpted from stone to resemble natural stalactites, with elaborate ceilings decorated with shells and stone carvings.

The Annalena or  Adam and Eve Grotto is named after the statues by Michelangelo Naccharino. The grotto was created by Giuseppe Cacialli in 1817, making it the newest grotto in the Boboli.

The Moses Grotto, so called because the statue of Moses in the photo below (the porphyry statue that is higher than the others), was created by Raphael Curradi. The sculpture of Moses, however, was the work of Raphael Curradi and Cosimo Salvestrini.

Ceiling of the Moses Grotto:

The Grotto of Madama, also called the Grotto of Goats, was built by Buontalenti in 1570 to honour Joan of Austria, wife of Francesco I de’ Medici. The goat was one of the emblems of Cosimo I de Medici.

Porcelain Museum, Boboli Gardens, Florence

The Porcelain Museum, which houses porcelain from some of Europe’s best-known manufacturers (for example, Sèvres and Meissen), was moved to its present location, the Casino del Cavaliere, in 1973. Before the move the collection was part of the Treasury Museum in the main building of the Pitti Palace. Some pieces were gifts from European leaders to Florentine rulers while others were commissioned by the Grand Dukes of Florence. The Casino building was originally built as a retreat for one of the Grand Dukes and is located at the top of the hill, close to the wall surrounding the Boboli Gardens.

Francois Gerard’s portrait of Napoleon, who used the palace as his base in the late 18th century, in his coronation robes:

The photo below shows the original 13th century wall of the City of Florence. Most of the wall was destroyed in the 19th century. The only remnants are here and by Porte San Miniato. The area is surprisingly rural, with olive groves and fruit trees.