Purchased in 1531 as an area reserved for hunting by the Medici family, the Cascine park soon it became an estate, closed to public enjoyment. At the end of the 18th century the park was enriched with buildings by the architect Giuseppe Manetti, such as the pyramid-shaped ice house, referred to as The pyramid. This exotic building stands at ten metres tall and it was an ice-collecting chamber, where the Medici would store the cheeses produced in the Gran Ducal farm, and the ice collected during the winter season to be gradually used for the needs of the farm itself. With the July 1791 inauguration the park was finally opened to the public.