The lush green heart of the city of Florence is about to get a major facelift. A €50 million mega-project to restore the Boboli Gardens was announced last week by Uffizi Galleries officials during the inauguration of the newly-revamped Kaffeehaus, an 18th-century domed pavilion and rare example of Rococo architecture in Tuscany. The first phase of the renovation was completed with the historic Kaffeehaus and its stunning 18th-century frescoes.

Scheduled to reopen in October — after some 20 years — the pavilion now has a Grand-Ducal cafeteria with tables inside and out, restrooms, and a large garden and panoramic terrace overlooking Florence's skyline.  The “Boboli Masterplan 2030” is an ambitious, eight-year plan to return the formal gardens to their Medici-era splendor. Renovations of the 33-hectare grounds — located on a slope behind the Pitti Palace in Florence’s Oltrarno neighborhood — are slated for completion in 2030.