Miami's Mansion And Gardens On Florida's Biscayne Bay Will Make You Think You're In The Mediterranean

Europe isn't the only place that has castles. A century ago, in the Gilded Age, affluent American families built magnificent estates to show off their wealth. The Vanderbilts had The Breakers and Marble House on "Mansion Mile" in Newport, media mogul William Randolph Hearst owned a Spanish Revival-style castle in California, and banker Otto Hermann Kahn built Oheka Castle, a French château on the "Gold Coast" of Long Island, where F. Scott Fitzgerald got the idea for "The Great Gatsby." Florida had its own glamorous coastal estates, the best of which is in Coconut Grove, Miami's oldest neighborhood: the gorgeous European villa that is now Vizcaya Museum and Gardens.

This Mediterranean-inspired mansion on Biscayne Bay was built by farm machinery magnate James Deering to be a winter retreat from his primary home in Chicago. (Apparently, "snowbirds" existed in the 20th century, too.) Many curious people wanted to sneak a peek at the villa, but only special guests were invited in. That is, until the mansion's doors were unlocked in 1953, when the private estate was transformed into a public museum that later hosted President Ronald Reagan, Pope John Paul II, and Queen Elizabeth II. If you'd like to visit now, Vizcaya Museum and Gardens is open every day (except Tuesdays) from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Built between 1914 and 1922, this massive 45,000-square-foot mansion was inspired by 18th-century villas in Veneto, Italy. The home is a living gallery where Deering showcased his collection of artifacts and antiquities, dating back to Pompeii. He had the help of interior designer and art curator Paul Chalfin, who sourced rich Italian furniture, a custom grand piano, and priceless pieces like 18th-century Neapolitan paintings. They even incorporated architectural elements from real Italian estates, including wrought-iron gates from Palazzo Pisani in Venice and the doors of the Torlonia Palace in Rome. Keep an eye out for nautical symbols — ships, seahorses, shells — that nod to the Spanish explorer that this elegant coastal Florida estate was named after.

Today, you can explore 34 rooms with a free audio tour that's included in your admission ticket, or you could take a guided house tour (available hourly from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.) for a more in-depth look. One group tour focuses on the lives of James Deering, his staff, and the guests who visited Vizcaya in the 1920s (think: historical tour meets "Downton Abbey"). The second option dives into how the mansion was built, its architecture, and its design as well as the hardworking people behind its construction. On both tours, you'll visit the first and second floors of the mansion as well as the "loggia," an open-air living room overlooking the gardens. The gardens are covered in the audio guide but not the house tour.

Like many underrated Florida mansions, Vizcaya boasts some gorgeous grounds. The 50-acre estate on Biscayne Bay has a mix of untouched nature areas, including forests and mangroves, as well as groomed green spaces like Italian Renaissance gardens and formal French gardens. The gardens were originally designed by Colombian landscape architect Diego Suarez, whom Deering met on a trip to Florence. The gardens take up 10 acres and feature 18th-century fountains, vases, and marble sculptures of ancient Roman and Greek gods. You'll also find a Venetian bridge, French trellis, intricate labyrinths, and striking stone barge sculpture in the water that helped protect the home from intense Floridian storms.

Restoration experts and architects are breathing new life into the property's historic village, where Vizcaya's workers lived and farmed in the early 1900s. Part of the village has been turned into a cultural space, so check the community events program for upcoming workshops, wellness classes, and rotating art exhibits. To learn more, join a half-hour tour of Vizcaya Village on Sundays at 11 a.m. The tour coincides with the Sunday Vizcaya Village Farmers Market (running from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.) and free arts-and-crafts activities for kids. If hunger strikes during your tour, you can get a bite at Vizcaya Village Café, which opened in November 2024, or taste homemade treats at the night market held on the second Thursday of every month.