The poet who found a paradise lost.

One of the greatest poets in the English language, John Milton spent a good number of years abroad. Florence was one of the many places he visited, and he found deep inspiration here, thanks at least in part to the cultural dynamism of the city: it was here, after all, that he met Galileo.

During his Florentine sojourn, Milton stayed at one of the city's finest residences, Palazzo Gaddi. It was in this building, which today hosts the guests of the Hotel Astoria, that the poet conceived Paradise Lost, his immortal meditation on the relationship between God and humanity. It seems that it was the garden of the Palazzo in particular that inspired him. The Milton Room, used today for business meetings, was where he wrote his masterpiece.