A gem of both natural and artistic beauty, the splendid Italian Garden is an unmissable travel destination for journalist and garden lovers worldwide.
Its original design dates back to the Corsini Orlandini, one of the most important families in Tuscany during the Renaissance period, which owned the Villa between 1668-1722.
The garden consists of two areas: one dedicated to the park, on the north side of the Villa which is accessed by a majestic and suggestive avenue of cypresses and the other on the south side.
The design is believed to date back to the period in which it was owned by the Orlandini family, one of the most important noble families in Renaissance Tuscany. If we can still enjoy it today in its original splendor, it is thanks to the extraordinary attention, care and restoration and maintenance of the most sensitive owners among those who have succeeded one another over the centuries.
The garden stretches over two terraces linked by a central staircase and two lateral ones.
It includes rare flowers and bonsai fruit trees, along with aromatic and healing herbs used for cosmetic and medical purposes. Among them, two mandrakes, a rare plant with large leaves, bluish flowers and an anthropomorphic root, which was believed to have magic powers.
Along with the Italian Garden, Poggio Torselli features a rare collection of more than 130 citrus trees, including lemons, bitter oranges, tangerines, chinottos, citrons and the rare Bizzarria, the Citrus aurantium once known as the “citrus of the Medici family”. Bizzarria is a hybrid between a lemon, a citron and a bitter orange. The skin and the colour of Bizzarria are a mix of the three citruses, a trilogy reminding of the union between the Villa, the Garden and the Vineyards.
A unique aspect of the garden is the 17th-century irrigation system made of the same pietra serena used for the Villa. The arrangement allows to water all the flowerbeds thanks to the slight gradient without the need of any pump. Such hydraulic systems are extremely rare: another one can be seen at the Giardino di Boboli in Florence.
The current structure of the Italian Garden is the result of a careful refurbishment by a garden architect appointed in 2000 by the current owners. The main object of the restoration was to recreated the rotation of the original 17th-century garden which provided blooming flowers throughout the seasons of the year.
The Villa is also surrounded by a magnificent park of grandiose trees; cypresses, cedars and holly oaks, all circled by bay tree hedges with their aromatic foliage.
In recent years, on the South side of the park, a vegetable garden has been built accordingly with the traditional custom of mixing vegetables with flowers and herbs.
