And now we finish our deepening describing the most important sculpture of Villa Demidoff: the Giant by Giambologna!

THE GIANT

The masterpiece of Villa Demidoff, built by Giambologna between 1579 and 1580, is entirely made of masonry and covered with plaster and stone. It represents a thoughtful giant, half man and half mountain, who seems to want to emerge majestically from the pond and who wants to evoke the roughness of the Apennine mountains.

The sculpture is 14 meters high and its lower part is occupied by a hexagonal grotto from which you can enter, by means of a ladder, the compartment located in the upper part of the body. Outside, the statue is adorned with sponges and limestone concretions, from which the water descended into the pool below.

The Dragon was added by Giovan Battista Foggini in the seventeenth century. Hence the famous saying "Giambologna made the Apennines but regretted having done it in Pratolino", because of the poor visibility of his masterpiece. It is said that the stone giant carries a secret, hosting in its womb rooms and mysterious caves. Even a chimney had been designed inside the head, which would have blown smoke out of the giant's nostrils.