Boboli Gardens, Florence

The 111-acre tiered gardens beneath Florence's Palazzo Pitti took a century to complete. The Boboli is consistently ranked among the best classical garden parks in Europe. They skillfully combine formal parterres, architectural follies, and water features typical of Renaissance gardens with landscape gardens and meticulously maintained "nature".

Promenades and more intimate paths connect everything, making a stroll through these gardens a nice escape from the city. You can get a stunning view of Florence and Brunelleschi's enormous dome from the top, on the terrace next to the Kaffeehaus. The Fontana del Bacco, which portrays a court dwarf as Bacchus riding a tortoise, the elaborate Grotta del Buontalenti, the Rococo Kaffeehaus, the Neptune Fountain, and Abbondanza, the enormous statue of Plenty, are highlighted to look for. Giambologna's Oceanus is located in an oval piazza that is surrounded by chestnut, cork oak, and pine trees, as well as a row of tall cypress trees.