Le Balze Garden
Directions If you are driving to the Villa from Florence, follow signs for Fiesole. Once you start driving uphill and out of the city center, you will come to an area called San Domenico. Once at San Domenico, the hill of Fiesole will be just in front of you. Pass the Pizzeria San Domenico on your left. Turn left at the second intersection - about 50 meters after the pizzeria- onto Via Vecchia Fiesolana (follow signs for “passeggiata panoramica” and “Chiesa Fontelucente”). This road is narrow, steep and two way until a certain point, so take your time and know vehicles traveling uphill have the right of way. So, once on Via Vecchia Fiesolana, turn a sharp right at the second intersection following signs for Via Vecchia Fiesoleana. From this point, the road is now one way going uphill and the Villa le Balze property will already be on your left. Shortly you will arrive at an overlook. Turn sharp left here, continuing uphill. The entrance to the Villa will now be straight ahead: Via Vecchia Fisolana, 26. The entrance to Villa Le Balze is a wrought iron gate in a tall yellow wall – you can see the Villa’s gardens through this gate. At the gate, press the doorbell next to the writing “Villa Le Balze”. You can park alongside the walls in the immediate area as long as your car is facing uphill (on Via Vecchia Fiesolana) or facing downhill (if you park on the adjacent via Bandini which is one way going downhill). In parking, make sure you allow for enough room for other cars to turn and pass. The NUMBER 7 city bus leaves from this train station and will take you all the way to Fiesole (the last stop on this bus route). Once you arrive in Fiesole you can reach the villa by foot from the bus stop, it is a ten minute walk (downhill) to Villa le Balze. From the bus stop, backtrack the bus route for a distance of about 50 meters, keeping right where the roads split at a curve.
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