Standing at around 35 feet tall, the Apennine Colossus is perhaps the most breathtaking feature of the gardens of Villa Medici at Pratolino, near Florence.
Standing at around 35 feet tall, the Apennine Colossus is perhaps the most breathtaking feature of the gardens of Villa Medici at Pratolino, near Florence.
Built over 400 years ago by Italian sculptor Giambologna, this impressive sculpture was designed as the personification of Italy’s rugged Apennine mountains. If video games have taught us anything, it’s that this mountain of a man is guarding something, and a peek inside only confirms this suspicion. That’s right - the Apennine Colossus isn’t just a sculpture - he’s also a building. In the upper part of his body and head is a secret compartment containing a number of rooms with frescoes and fountains moved by hydraulic mechanisms. There’s even a fireplace that would have blown smoke from the giant’s nostrils.