Giardino dei Semplici

Description:

• The creation of the Giardino dei Semplici was requested by Cosimo I de' Medici in the mid 16th century.  The garden was laid out by Niccolò Pericoli, a landscape gardener known as "il Tribolo", who created a typical 16th-century garden along clear geometric lines.  It was one of the first of its kind in the world.  The gardens were planted by famous botanists, one of whom, Pier Antonio Micheli, made additions in the following century.  With in an increase of scientific studies, semplici referring to vegetable varieties with medicinal properties were prevalent in the gardens.  In 1753, the Botanical Society merged with the Georgofili Academy, the garden became part of a special system of studies into plants and herbs.  The layout of the garden changed, the diagonal divisions were removed.  Today the collection comprises 9,000 plants of different kinds from all over the world.  It is managed by the University of Florence and open to all students. 
  
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