Gardens of Florence: Giardino dei Semplici

Since the Middle Ages, "semplici", a word derived from the Latin “medicina simplex”, meaning medicinal herbs and tranlated as “simples”, have been grown in Florentine city gardens.
In 1454, Cosimo I de' Medici founded a true academic garden for the students of the Faculty of Medicine.
"A public place where...plants native to a wide variety of climates and countries could be grown, so that young students could quickly and easily learn to recognize them all in one space."

Thus was born the Giardino dei Semplici, now the third oldest botanical garden in the world and part of the Natural History Museum of the University of Florence.
The garden was designed by Niccolò Tribolo, architect and landscape designer at the Medici court, while Luca Ghini was responsible for the selection of plants and their arrangement.
The garden was later modified but still features a central layout that recalls the original design. We owe the detailed description of the sixteenth-century project, dating back to 1684, to archivist Leopoldo del Migliore.
The Giardino dei Semplici, located in via Micheli 3, was opened to the public in 1864, and today it is open to the public every day except Mondays.
In its current structure, the garden covers an area of ​​23,892 m² with 29 flowerbeds and large greenhouses housing tropical plants.

With the arrival of spring, it is one of the most beautiful and peaceful places to visit in Florence!