Abstract
Abstract. The Boboli Monumental Garden, from the first half of the 17th century, houses “secret” spaces such as the Giardino delle Camelie, a secluded space reserved only for members of the Medici family. The particular configuration, both in plan and height, and the state of conservation of the Garden required a thorough survey with photogrammetric and laser scanner techniques as a preliminary investigation for the restoration and structural reinforcement project. The survey, together with a careful examination of the present conditions, the historical and archival research, the geognostic investigations enabled to investigate the object in its many specificities and to proceed to the following analysis and design.Starting from the 3D model, it has been possible to extract all the 2D views for the rendering of the survey and project drawings and to achieve countless qualitative and quantitative information on the structures, otherwise difficult to deduce, useful both for the project and restoration.
Highlights
The Giardino delle Camelie is presented in the double consistency of a unitary organism and an organic part of the larger architectural and landscape complex of the Pitti – Boboli museum system
The garden has a surface area of 304 square meters, a total length of 69 m and a width ranging between 1.50 m and 6.60 m and is located on a long and narrow strip of land, on the west side of Palazzo Pitti, against the retaining wall of the Piazzale della Meridiana
The garden consists of two distinct parts: a "public" part, related with Boboli and marked by an access path bordered by flowerbeds, which starts at the main gate and ends at the passthrough Grotto; a "private" part, related with the Palace and characterized by the “secret garden” that, once crossed the grotto, appeared in the past in its glory with a paved path lined with a double row of flower beds with camellias, two small oval fountains, benches and bases for supporting the terracotta pots that once allegedly embellished the garden
Summary
The Garden is one of the rare examples of private places created inside Boboli, or "secret gardens" reserved for some members of the Grand Duke's family, where rare citrus or exotic plants were usually cultivated (Contini, Gori 2004) It was built around the mid-seventeenth century, in continuity with the apartment of Prince Mattias, the younger brother of Grand Duke Ferdinando II de 'Medici, located on the first floor of the mezzanine in the west wing of the building. The barrel vault inside is decorated with geometric and naturalistic motifs, which have some gaps (Nizzi Grifi 2003) Another architectural element of the garden is the small space carved into the side wall, already represented in a seventeenthcentury map and modified in the Lorraine age which is called Grotticina Lorenese (fig 1). Taking advantage of the existing flowerbeds, in the first half of the 19th century the planting of a row crop of camellias started (Galletti 1999, 77), giving the Garden its current name
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