The Apennine Colossus of Villa Demidoff: all you need to know to plan a visit to Pratolino’s Park and Villa Demidoff, one of the historical Medici’s Villas in Tuscany, Unesco World Heritage Site.
The Apennine Colossus is a colossal statue of a giant in the Garden of Villa Demidoff, one of the Tuscan villages of the Medici Family, now a Unesco world heritage site.
The sculpture is one of the most unique sights in Tuscany and an excellent stop to add to your explorations in and around Florence.
On this page, you will find all you need to know about it and our tips for visiting
See also: the best day trips from Florence
Table of Contents
The Apennine Colossus: what is it, what makes it special
The Apennine Colossus, also known as Colosseo dell’Appennino or The Giant of Pratolino, is a large statue of a giant sculpted but artist Giambologna between 1579 and 1580.
The statue represents a bearded older man crouching down on one knee and pushing the head of a beast into the ground.
From the beast’s mouth, water flows into a large pond that the giant appears to be overlooking.
The statue is significant and unique under many accounts.
First of all, its size!
As the name ‘colossus’ suggests, the Apennine Colossus is huge and reached 45 feet / 14 meters!
The second thing that makes the statue unique is is aspect and symbolism.
Gianbologna sculpted the colossus to represent the Apennine Mountain range, the mountain range in this part of Tuscany (and mosy of central Italy).
To portray these mountains’ natural and often rugged nature, he made his colossal man as a creature with human traits but also wild and feral characteristics.
The giant’s skin is smooth, but his beard and hair resemble plants and rock formations as if suggesting the creature emerging from the landscape, a personification of the local terrain itself.
Last but not least, the Apennine Colossus is famous for what it hides!
The statue sits above a system of grottoes with water-themed decorations and fountains.
The park is a historical site on the Tuscan hills, just outside of Florence, and it is a beautiful outdoor space with exciting and unique features.
If you are looking for a pleasant and family-friendly day trip from Florence, consider a day at Villa Demidoff and Pratolino’s Park.
Originally an elegant and extravagant estate, the park is now Unesco World Heritage Site. It is a nice place to visit on a spring or fall day, when you can take in the beauty of its nature and it peculiar sculptures.
Apennine Colossus address
The Apennine Colossus is inside Pratolino’s Park in Via Fiorentina, 276, 50036 Pratolino FI, Italy
You can reach Pratolino by car from Florence with a shot drive: parking is available on site.
Why visit Pratolino’s Park and Villa Demidoff
Pratolino’s Park and Villa Demidoff are one of the 12 historical villas originally belonging to the Medici family that are now UNESCO sites in Tuscany.
These villas all date back between the XV and XVII century and are significant as they represent a unique type of landscaping built that blends in architecture, nature and science.
They are a great example of the Humanism approach to architecture and nature, characteristic of that time.
They are beautiful to see as well as interesting for history lovers (Pienza is another interesting example of the same approach).
Pratolino’s park, in particular, has gone through several vicissitudes and destructions and is only partially arrived in its original form.
However, it is still a place of great beauty and has an impressive sculpture of a giant, the so-called ‘Appenine Colossus’, that is, alone, worth seeing.
A brief history of Pratolino’s Park and Villa Demidoff
The project for the construction of Pratolino’s Park dates back to the XVI century.
It connected to the personality of Francesco I de’ Medici, head of the powerful Medici family at the time and Grand Duke of Tuscany.
Francesco I wanted to create a ‘fairy tale’ villa for his second wife Bianca Cappello and assigned the job to architect Buontalenti, who delivered a park so extraordinary contemporaries called it a ‘garden of wonders’.
The park used to have several buildings, including an aviary, chapel and Paggeria, ponds, machines and sculptures; however, it didn’t survive the death of its owners and, after the death of Bianca and Francesco I, got abandoned.
The park, as we see it today, is due to the intervention of the Davidoff family, who took care of making it bigger and restored in parts.
What to see in Pratolino’s Park
Pratolino’s Park is a large open space. I believe these are its highlights.
Pratolino’s Giant, the Appennine Colossus (see above)
The Appennine Colossus or Colosso dell’Appennino, in Italian, is a colossal statue of a giant leaning over a pond inside the Park of Pratolino.
It is an incredible sight!
The Appennine Colossus or Colosso dell’Appennino, in Italian, is a colossal statue of a giant leaning over a pond inside the Park of Pratolino.
It is an incredible sight!
The giant is represented as a bearded man hunched over a fountain/pond.
It is made of carefully crafted stone that gives him a very human appearance yet allows it to blend flawlessly with its natural surroundings.
It is over 14 meters tall (over 45 ft!) and looks like it is about to stand up from the waters, dripping water and algae.
Initially, it was part of a much more complex creation, including a hypogeum and cave with moving sculptures, but even on its own, it is an awe-inspiring sight and a sculpture it will take a minute to take it in, because of its size and make technique that make it look as is part of the natural landscape.
Buontalenti’s Chapel
The Chapel by Buontalenti is the only building in Pratolino’s Park that got to us pretty much unaltered.
got to us unaltered.
It was built in 1580 and has a peculiar hexagonal plan that gives it an extraordinary appearance and feel.
Its roof is a grey slate dome and its front is decorated with a lovely portico, which gives it a distinctive Florentine and Renaissance look.
The chapel lies at the tip of a staircase and it is surrounded by nature and trees, embodying perfectly the idea of architect and nature blending that was at the basis of this project.
Pratolino’s Park Natural features
The other big reason to explore Pratolino’s Parkis its beautiful natural features.
The estate stretches over the gentle hills surrounding Florence and offers pretty and expansive views.
It has a lovely long pathway that allows you to be surrounded by plants and secular trees and also offers nice views over the countryside around you.
The visit requires a good bit of walking. However, it doesn’t pose any accessibility issues and is also suitable for kids.
How to get to Pratolino’s Park and tips for visiting
Pratolino’s Park is a short drive out of Florence along Via Bolognese. The road up here is narrow and winding yet well kept and a large parking lot is just outside the Villa.
Access to the park is free however, there is a booth where they give you your entrance ticket and map to the area.
The park is accessible on foot and doesn’t require special footwear. Due to the significant walking involved however, I do recommend comfortable shoes for your visit.
You can find my recommended shoes for Italy travel here.
If visiting in summer, please be advised that the park gets very hot and has several stretched of road in the sun: bring a sun hat and check our tips for what to pack for Italy in summer here.
The park is easy to enjoy with kids and it is stroller friendly. It also has a small playground for little ones. We find seeing the giant of Pratolino one of the coolest things to do in Italy with kids!
A cafeteria is available on site.
I hope you enjoyed this quick overview of Pratolino’s Park and it inspired you to visit. Safe travel planning!
This post was originally published in 2015 and has now been fully updates (May 2023).
I had no idea that the giant was in Florence, much less in Italy. I always thought it was a Southern German sculpture, somewhere close to the Alps.
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