VIZCAYA MUSEUM AND GARDENS
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Superb house inspired by Italian architecture, surrounded by a huge garden with fountain, labyrinth and secret corners.
This sublime house was built between 1914 and 1916 by James Deering, the heir of a family that had made a fortune in agricultural machine tools. It must have looked like an Italian villa from the 16thcentury. Vizcaya comes from the Basque word meaning "high place". The house, made of reinforced concrete covered with coral, is enhanced by a series of details: window frames made of local oolitic limestone, columns made from Cuban limestone, and the legendary Havana cylinder tiles, whose model is said to have come from the thighs of the señoritas. The estate consisted of 85 hectares, most of which was sold after Deering's death in 1925. Today there are about 12 hectares left. As the waves of Biscayne Bay literally wash over the Vizcaya steps, a seawall was built and disguised as a Venetian boat. The gardens are equally stunning, taking head gardener Diego Suarez seven years to complete. While some are conventional, there are also innovations: a secret garden as they were loved during the Florentine Renaissance, fountains, pools in which the environment is reflected, waterfalls, water stairs, a labyrinth, a summer theater, a tea house, a casino and a garden for the blind. Vizcaya is one of Miami's major tourist attractions. Allow 2 hours to visit, or more if you linger in the gardens.
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