This serial UNESCO World Heritage site contains 14 properties, all inscribed together in 2013. We have visited a single one among them and it was in 2008, which makes it one of more borderline entries on my personal roster.
The villas and gardens are recognized for the ground-breaking ways they were constructed in harmony with the environment, offering a blueprint for many future blue-bloods to build their leisure retreats. I do not have enough evidence to either support or challenge this purported universal value on the basis of just Boboli Gardens. The gardens are nice, but it is hard to recall a stand-out defining feature, and although they are on my recommended Florence to-do list, they are not in the top tier of recommendations.
Here is one shot taken in the gardens.
Palazzo Pitti is not mentioned on the UNESCO inscription – in fact, Boboli Gardens appear as one of just two properties that are not considered “villas”. Stangely enough though, the map of the protected property includes the palace within its boundaries. Which gives me leave to include this picture of the palace and the piazza in front of it.
The palace and gardens are located just up the street from Ponte Vecchio on the Oltrarno side of Florence. You can visit just the gardens or just the palace or both. The gardens are extensive enough that a leisurely visit can be stretched to a few hours.