The gardens, which have been open to the public since 1766, span over 11 acres, with tree-lined lanes, shady paths, vineyards, citrus groves, over 200 Renaissance and Roman sculptures, eight fountains, and three or four grottos (depending on how you define a grotto).
The fountains include the famous Fountain of Neptune, the centrally located Ocean Fountain, the quirky Artichoke Fountain, the Ganymede Fountain, and smaller ones like the Tiny Birds Fountain and Grape Harvest Fountain.
The famous grottos are the Grotta Grande (or Buontalenti Grotto), the Grotta di Madama (Grotto of Madame), the Grotta di Mosè (Grotto of Moses) and the Adam and Eve Grotto.
Our walk
Our walk through Boboli Gardens was short compared to how long it could have been. At best we explored about a quarter of the gardens. It was December, nothing was in bloom and many sculptures were covered to protect them from the elements. But it wasn't crowded and the weather was actually very pleasant.
We walked uphill from the palace starting at the Grotto of Moses, meandered around the Artichoke Fountain and past the Obelisk, through the Anfiteatro, to the Fountain of Neptune and then at the top banked left towards Forte Belvedere and then along the lane to the Kaffeehaus. From there we continued walking downhill to the Madama Grotto. We then passed orange trees on our way to the Buontalenti Grande Grotto and the entrance to the Vasari Corridor. In other words, we climbed the hill and headed southeast while the bulk of the garden's acreage is west of the palace.
