It is 450 years since the death of Grand Duke Cosimo I dei Medici, and on the occasion of the end of the restoration work, the park and the Grotta degli animali , a small masterpiece within the oasis of beauty that is the Garden of the Medici Villa of Castello, which the duke commissioned to Tribolo starting in 1539, are reopened.
Why is it called Grotto of the Animals? Inside this cavern we find three monumental pools each topped, in a scenographic composition, by dozens of statues of mammals, fish, crustaceans and molluscs
It will therefore be possible for all of us to visit the garden and the grotto with guided tours, free of charge and without prior booking, starting at the entrance and conducted by the staff. And we can finally enjoy the water games, originally present but then no longer activated: from the end of April on weekends, a timed system is programmed four times a day, with a special hydraulic mechanism that ensures the recovery of the water to restore that visual and sound effect conceived by Tribolo. The water on the different stone materials used for the figures of the animals, or coming out of their mouths will be like an injection of vitality, verisimilitude and colour.
From 11 April to 30 June, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, two visits at 11 a.m. and 5 p.m., no booking required.
