Country Life | Florentine Villa Gardens: Including the gardens of the illustrious Medici dynasty

5 days | £5295 per person with flights | 11 - 15 May 2026

Including the gardens of the illustrious Medici dynasty, the works of Cecil Pinsent and contemporary designs of note

This late Spring tour has been carefully designed to include some of the most beautiful and exclusive gardens in and around Florence and is timed to coincide with the flowering of the Iris florentina, emblem of the city since 1251, a white flowering bearded iris from which the perfumed orris-root is made and attributed to being the inspiration for the fleur-de-lis. It was in Tuscany that the Renaissance took root in the 15^th century, and garden features from that time are still in evidence. By way of contrast, the tour also features important gardens of the early 20^th century when English speaking expatriates comprised one sixth of the population of Florence. We include gardens designed by Cecil Pinsent who worked in the early 1900s for the expatriate community. On one day we venture out of Florence to Villa La Foce, to see the gardens created for Iris & Antonio Origo in the 1920s. Our host, Nick Dakin-Elliot will discuss how these masterpieces of garden architecture are being managed in Italy today particularly referring to his work at the helm of the restoration work at Villa La Pietra. This tour includes many rare and private visits with special invitations to lunch with owners. We are accommodated for four nights at the elegant 5-star Hotel Regency.

Day to day Itinerary

Day 1

Arriving in Pisa late morning we transfer to Florence where you are invited for a light lunch and a tour of Giardino Torrigiani, a remarkable private garden in central Florence owned by the Torrigiani families since the 16^th century. En route to the hotel we visit Villa Medici Castello, a fine example of an early Medici Garden that has been restored. At the Hotel Regency there is time to settle in before dining together with local wine included.

Day 2

We start the day visiting the gardens of Villa Gamberaia, one of the most perfect examples of garden architecture. Although the original garden dates to the 17^th century, the famous water terrace was designed by Princess Ghyka of Serbia in the late 19^th century. Explore a unique water parterre, bowling lawn, secret garden, nymphaeum, lemon garden and bosco with magnificent views over the Arno Valley. After a group lunch, our final visit of the day is to the fascinating Giardino dell’Iris. The garden is open for around one month each year and is a colourful oasis containing over 1500 varieties of Iris from all over the world. We return to Hotel Regency before dining out in a local restaurant together with local wines included.

Day 3

Today we drive to the Palazzo Piccolomini, built in 1459 by Enea Silvio Piccolomini (Pope Pius II from 1458 to 1464). The palace features a grand hanging garden with views of the Val d’Orcia and Mount Amiata. We enjoy lunch together before continuing to Villa La Foce in the Val d’Orcia, a beautiful and miraculously intact valley in Southern Tuscany. When Antonio & Iris Origo bought the estate, they engaged the English architect Cecil Pinsent to restructure the main buildings and create a garden to enhance the Renaissance house and expand the spectacular view over the valley. Perfect harmony between buildings, garden and nature helps La Foce stand out as one of Pinsent’s best works. Return to Florence for a free evening.

Day 4

Our day begins in the garden of Vignamaggio, heart of the Chianti Classico region. The garden showcases a rich array of plantings and flowing fountains with stunning views across rolling hills and vast vineyards. Before we sit for lunch, we take part in a Terracotta experience in Impruneta, discovering the art of the most durable terracotta in the world. Following an independent lunch, we conclude our day at Torre di Sopra, a garden of romantic plantings and citric delights. The original layout of the garden remains and forms a series of garden rooms reminiscent of the Arts and Crafts movement. Return to the hotel for dinner at a local restaurant.

Day 5

On this last day of the tour, we visit Cecil Pinsent’s dramatic treatment of the steep hillside at Villa Le Balze in Fiesole as well as the gardens of Villa Medici Fiesole, one of the earliest Medici gardens that was sensitively overlaid by the work of Cecil Pinsent in the early 19^th Century. We then have a picnic lunch at Villa La Pietra, the magnificent Acton family villa now owned by New York University (NYU). Here, Nick Dakin-Elliot will explain the implementation of Kim Wilkie’s ingenious restoration plan for this important site. Travel to Pisa Airport for our return flight to London.

Regency Hotel

This stunning 5-star Florentine villa is located just a short step away from the centre of Florence. The property was built in the second half of the 19th century and was furnished by interior designer Tito Chini, the Art Nouveau style has been meticulously maintained and today guests at the Regency Hotel can appreciate Chini's stained glass windows and ceiling details in the dining room. Each room has been individually styled and provides a comfortable retreat for guests with elegant furnishings and modern amenities. Overlooking the hotel's private inner garden is the Restaurant Relais Le Jardin, it is here that Gastronomic wonders are curated combining flavours of Italian tradition with creative interpretation.

With Flights: £5295

Join Direct: £5145

Single Supp: £750

Deposit: £450

Departure Dates:

11 - 15 May 2026

Duration:

4 nights / 5 days

Your Holiday Includes:

Return flights (Economy class) from London to Pisa
Four nights' bed and breakfast at the Hotel Regency
Private coach transfers and excursions
Three evening meals and four lunches
Guided visits to sites listed in the programme
Services of the Tour Host and Tour Leader
Detailed programme and garden notes
All entrance fees, taxes, and gratuities for coach drivers and serving staff

Tour Host & Leader

Nick Dakin-Elliot

Nick Dakin-Elliot, as Horticultural Associate, is responsible for the Renaissance Revival gardens and grounds of Villa La Pietra and, as Garden Manager, the new Arts and Crafts-style garden of Villa Torre di Sopra, both in Florence, Italy. Previously, he was senior lecturer in horticulture at Pershore College of Horticulture in England. He studied ornamental horticulture at Askham Bryan College, York and the University Botanic Gardens, Cambridge and

studied education at the Universities of Wolverhampton and Worcester in England. Whilst Nick’s lifelong love of plants, their beauty and the challenges of both propagating and growing them remains, his current

fascination is with organic vegetable growing and the practice of sustainable gardening.

Marion Mako

Based in the Cotswolds, Marion is an accomplished freelance garden designer, historian, researcher, author, and tour leader. Inspired by a trip to Italy, she left the corporate world to study garden design and practical horticulture, later earning a Master’s in Garden History from the University of Bristol, where she focused on the Arts and Crafts era and the artist and garden designer Alfred Parsons. Marion has written five books, contributed to journals, and appeared on British TV and the American PBS series ‘A Short History of the English Garden’. For over twenty years, she has led garden tours across England and Europe. It is her great joy to discover and share new gardens with fellow garden enthusiasts and she is renowned for her engaging storytelling about the creators of these places.