If I ever get the chance, this is one place I would love to visit.

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Quote:

The Bizzarria to, or for accuracy of Citrus aurantium "Bizzarria" is - as its name says - a rarity, a chimera, a citrus fruit unique and peculiar that, despite having the genetic traits of bitter, as the three species are morphologically different citrus sour orange, citron and lemon content simultaneously in the same fruit. Its fruits are indeed monstrous: lumpy and yellow, orange and green. Peter Born, Director of the Botanical Garden of Pisa, wrote in 1674 a remark fitologica Florentine citron apple-orange in Florence vulgarly The Bizzarria nel'introduzione and turns to the Marquis Don Lorenzo Panciatichi in the garden which, in his villa at Torre degli Agli , was discovered in 1644 Bizzarria. Born writes: "The new born golden apple for the first time in the most agreeable of your beautiful garden suburban villa, which once attracted the admiration of all Tuscany and now more widely spread through the clutch deserves universal acclaim from all over the world, requiring a writer ... that would make public its pleasant piece of news and unknown causes of its origin ... ". The origin of this "Bizzarria" was in fact long been debated. Other bizarre cases have occurred and still occur in various plants. Their origin is attributable to or hybrid coupling, ie buds which are formed at the point where they come into contact the fabrics of two different plants grafted together, or for onset of a mutation in cells of vegetative apex. Francesco Redi thus describes in a letter of 1665 to Cardinal Leopoldo de 'Medici: "... a bizarre alternative externally taken irregularly striped with orange and citron cut it in half ... and .. I realized that it crossed three apples wedged into one another. The first contained within the other two. The other apple was going on was so forthright in an orange peel as in the countryside, the third and last apple ... cedrosino was a well made point and without admixture of orange. "It also speaks Clarici Paul Bartholomew, in History and culture of plants (1726), defining the Bizzarria "a plant of its nature is not generated by the case or the art produced." A result of this strange citrus was designed in the seventeenth century by the painter Baldassare Franceschini Volterrano, who worked at the Villa Medici di Castello and Petraia. The Bizzarria, which has fascinated botanists for centuries, has had a strange fate: you thought it was lost at the beginning of the '900 and instead was found by Paolo Galeotti, head of the garden of the Villa Medici at Castello, in the years 80s. Since then, reproduced by grafting and preserved, has also been taken at the Boboli Gardens and the Botanical Garden of Florence and hopefully that should not be lost again! Where can you buy it Bizzarria: Nurseries Oscar Tintori street shooting 55 51012 Castellare of Pescia (pt) www.oscartintori.it

I'm sure you've all read my website about the Medici Collection and Bizarria!!
If not, rush over to
http://www.homecitrusgrowers.co.uk/citrusplaces/medici.html
http://www.homecitrusgrowers.co.uk/citrusplaces/medici/castellothumbs.html
http://www.homecitrusgrowers.co.uk/citrusvarieties/bizzarria.html

When I was there, even though all the tourist information claimed it was open, the garden was closed to the public due to lack of staff and funds.
Luckily, I had e-mailed in advance and I was lucky enough to be shown around by the head gardener. A great experience.

Mike/Citrange