Beyond Renaissance in Florence - The Art Nouveau Greenhouse by Giacomo Roster

The Orticoltura Garden was established for botanical scientific experiments in 1859 by the Georgofili Academy, an association founded in 1753, in the Enlightenment climate, for the study of agricultural techniques. Vineyards, fruit trees, vegetables and eccentric and rare ornamental plants were planted in the area. In 1876 the whole park was renovated to be able to host international exhibitions of floriculture, techniques and agricultural tools. For this reason it was decided to build a large Art Nouveau-style heated greenhouse, in iron, cast iron and glass (called then tepidarium or winter garden).

The architect Giacomo Roster (1837 - 1905) was commissioned for this project. At time time he was working with Giuseppe Poggi in the urban restructuring that changed the face of the city for "Firenze Capitale" (1864 -1870) in the second half of the 19th century. Roster collaborated in particular on the renovation of the ring road avenues, Piazza Beccaria, Viale dei Colli, Piazzale Galileo and on the layout of the Bobolino park with the municipal greenhouses.

Building the tepidarium proved to be very demanding: it involved 9700 pieces and 8 tons of iron, on an area of ​​650 square meters and 17 meters high. It was the largest greenhouse in Italy, inaugurated in 1880 and immediately called the "Crystal Palace".

Unlike other greenhouses, from the start this was conceived to be used not only to house plants, but also as a venue for musical and artistic exhibitions. The park, acquired by the Municipality of Florence in 1930 and then opened to the public, has also been used to host weddings and ceremonies in recent years.
Entrance to the garden is from via Bolognese and via Vittorio Emanuele.