Secret Gardens of Florence: Boboli and Giardino Torrigiani

Diane holds a PhD in interdisciplinary studies in architecture from the University of British Columbia and is a visiting scholar at the Faculty of Architecture at the Sapienza University of Rome. A former research fellow at the British School at Rome, she has been appointed as a heritage expert to numerous committees both in Italy and internationally on the conservation and restoration of architecture and urban heritage. One of her main research sites is Hadrian’s Villa, Tivoli, and the continued influence of the architecture of the Emperor Hadrian on Brunelleschi, Michelangelo, Borromini, Bernini, and contemporary architects. Diane teaches architecture and urban history in Rome, including a specialized seminar on Michelangelo. Additionally, she was the founding curator of the international architectural collection of drawings, prints, and rare manuscripts for the Canadian Centre for Architecture. She was also an advisor to the Getty funded Architectural Drawings Advisory Committee (ADAG), at the Center for the Advanced Studies of the Visual Arts, Washington, D.C.

Valerie received her BA with distinction in art history and museology at the University of Florence, focusing on the Renaissance art market. Although German, Valerie was born and raised in Rome, making her eager to build bridges across different cultures. She also works for the educational department of the state museums in Florence, where her mission is to communicate art and culture as a means of understanding the visual signs that surround us.

Lucia grew up in Rome where she graduated in 2001 with a thesis on Roman fresco decoration, after which she took part in an internship at the Louvre. In Florence since 2003, she expanded her passion for drawings thanks to a student's grant at the Longhi Foundation of Art History. She has also continued building on her knowledge of minor arts with a Masters program at the University of Florence, and an additional license in wood restoration. In the last few years, Lucia has been strongly interested in the movement of artworks for temporary exhibitions. She have worked as Chief Curator at the Czech Center Museum in Houston (US) for 9 months, cataloguing the collection and collaborating with all museum's cultural activities and promotions.