Even if we live in one of the most beautiful cities in the world, in the long run the hustle and bustle of the city can tire and make us feel a bit nostalgic for nature and for the pristine green spaces, where the sky is clear, the air is uncontaminated.
One of the best places in Florence to "detoxify" from cement and reconnect with nature is the historic Garden of Horticulture.
The Horticultural Garden of Florence: its history
The Horticultural Garden of Florence, was born in the mid-nineteenth century when "... the Accademia dei Georgofili appointed a commission with the task of forming a horticultural society in Tuscany... Hence the need for the activation of a vegetable garden or experimental garden, which materialized in 1859, the year in which the Company was granted in emphyteusis a land located outside Porta San Gallo at the beginning of Via Bolognese owned by the Marquis Ludovico Ginori Lisci and the Marquise Marianna Venturi ... A radical reorganization of the garden took place starting from 1876 with the main purpose of being able to host future national exhibitions and prestigious exhibitions".
Where is it
The Horticultural Garden in Florence is perfect for a walk, to read a good book: on spring days it is essential to bring a plaid to eat maybe a nice schiacciata and then lie down and look at the view and the sky. We consider it almost a secret garden, off the beaten track, located between Via Bolognese and Via Vittorio Emanuele: inside there is a play area dedicated to children, a library and the Loggetta Bondi (plus the large lawns we talked about before to relax).
And then... The Tepidarium
What makes it even more particular is certainly its tepidarium, a beautiful glass and steel greenhouse in Art Nouveau style, designed by the architect Giacomo Roster: its peculiarity is that, for the first time, a structure of this type was designed for uses other than the most immediate.
The tepidarium in fact, in addition to hosting plants, has been over time home to exhibitions and other exhibitions, musical and artistic events, weddings.
The Dragon Garden
When you reach the highest part of the Horticultural Garden, you arrive at the Orti del Parnaso, a place embellished with a spectacular dragon-shaped staircase from which you can enjoy a spectacular panoramic view of the Duomo of Florence.
Did you already know this beautiful garden? We are sure that with the arrival of spring it will become, if it is not already, one of your favorite places.
How beautiful are the gardens in the city? Even in places like Florence because even if "The absence of a garden makes buildings and palaces appear coarse works" (famous phrase of Francis Bacon) maybe it does not suit our monuments, green lungs are really indispensable.
image sources: firenze made in tuscany, flickr, trip advisor, wikipedia
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