Grotta di Madama

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In 1550 approximately, during the early phases of the works to realize the Boboli Gardens, a small garden was built alongside the wall of the San Giorgio Convent, intended by Cosimo I de' Medici for the cultivation of dwarf fruit trees as shown by the depiction of Boboli in the famous lunette painted by Giusto Utens (1559-1602). In this part of the garden, between 1553 and 1555 a small grotto was built, later named "Grotta di Madama". The project was directed by Davide Fortini, the son-in-law of Tribolo, to whom the Medici family had entrusted the design of the entire Boboli Gardens.

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About the Artist

Davide Fortini

? – 1590

Italian architect, active in Tuscany. He was originally from San Casciano in Val di Pesa, but his birth date is not known. He was the son-in-law of Tribolo, whose eldest daughter Dianora he married, and began his career working under the guidance of his father-in-law. From around 1550 he collaborated with Tribolo in the construction of the villa of Castello for Cosimo I de'Medici, and he directed the construction after Tribolo's death until 1554. Also with Tribolo, he worked on the stables of the villa of Poggio a Caiano. From 1550 to 1560 he was officially responsible for the works in the Boboli Gardens. In 1554-56 he was the architect of the Grotta di Madama. Around 1574 in Caprona, near Pisa, he designed the grotto of the villa of Appiano (now Grassi-Mariani). This work was inspired by the Grotto di Madama and it manifests Fortini's skill in hydraulic engineering and sculptural decoration. In the 1570s and 1580s he worked in the gardens of the villa in Petraia, the villa of Pratolino and the villa of Poggio a Caiano; he collaborated in the creation of the lake of the Villa della Màgia and in the construction of the villa in Coltano.

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