following a commission by the municipality of Florence to develop the left bank of the Arno River, when the capital of Italy was moved from Turin to Florence that year. His contributions include both the Piazzale Michelangelo and the garden. It has an area of about 1 ha and is terraced. Once part of the property of the Oratorian Fathers, the Podere San Francesco (San Francesco farm), the area was transformed into a garden by Attilio Pucci, who started a collection of roses. In 1895, the garden was opened for the first time to the public during the Arts and Flowers Festival, which was held every May.
In 1998, the garden gained a Japanese Shorai oasis, donated by Yasuo Kitayama and the Kōdai-ji Zen temple by the Florence's twin city of Kyoto. Since September 2011 the garden has hosted twelve sculptures by the Belgian artist Jean-Michel Folon, donated by his widow to the municipality of Florence. The sculptures are: Partir (2005), Un oiseau (1993), Chat-oiseau (1994), Chat (1996), Vingt-cinquième pensée (2001), Méditerranée (2001), Panthère (2003), Walking (2003), Je me souviens (2003), Partir (2005) and L’envol (2005).
