Florence Slow Tour: The Medici Park of Pratolino

During her camper journey in Tuscany, Syusy Blady makes a stop at Pratolino, the garden of the UNESCO-listed Medici Villa. The actual villa, commissioned by Francesco I, was destroyed after his death, leaving only descriptions behind.

What survives is the vast alchemical garden designed by Buontalenti, which was once adorned with fountains, water features, artificial grottoes, and automata, all functioning through hydraulic mechanisms.

From the Fountain of Jupiter to the colossal Appennino, and on to the Grotto of Cupid, we venture to explore the remaining subterranean chambers adorned with sponges, corals, and shells. The garden comprised a kind of initiatory path, a symbolic journey of the soul toward purification.