A park for every season
Every season has its advantages when it comes to parks: they are best appreciated when the days begin to lengthen and the temperatures become milder, in spring.
They release a powerful charm in autumn, when the colours of the leaves paint them in warm, enveloping shades.
But it is in the summer that parks become decisive, when they represent the refuge for many people, especially those who stay in the city, but also for many tourists, who are evidently suffering from our temperatures. It is scientifically proven that in the midst of greenery, temperatures drop.
The list of parks you will find here is partial, in an area as broad as Florence and its surroundings: it ranges from public gardens to historical gardens, but is still accessible without a ticket.
The area west of Florence is very flat and is occupied by the municipalities of Sesto Fiorentino, Calenzano and Campi Bisenzio. Here there are some beautiful green spaces.
Amidst ancient villas, Etruscan architecture and an already rural atmosphere is the Villa Solaria Park, owned by the municipality of Sesto Fiorentino. The park covers an area of about 60,000 square metres and is characterised by large meadows separated by dense wooded areas. Among the most remarkable specimens in terms of age and size are cypresses, maples, cedars, horse chestnuts, pines, oaks, redwoods, yews, lindens, white poplars and ginkgo biloba.
Located between Calenzano and Prato is the other beautiful green space that goes by the name of Parco del Neto. With an extension of about 7 hectares, it has maintained intact those characteristics, once general for the entire plain, of a humid area, relict of a larger lake system with a network of paths bordered by rows of lime trees and plane trees.
In the territory of Campi Bisenzio is the Villa Montalvo Park, a large extension of meadows and trees, 19 hectares of equipped green space. The area historically used as a rawhide is the most interesting: in this wood there are now holm oaks, ash trees, elms, black poplars, populated by birds including starlings and finches.
The green lung of the city is the Parco delle Cascine. Stretching along the Arno River, it is favoured for outdoor sports, but also hosts summer events, markets and fun fairs. Regenerating oasis in the summer heat.
Comune di Calenzano
Les lieux
Étapes
Villa Solaria
On the outskirts of the city of Sesto Fiorentino, in a beautiful landscape setting, is the park of Villa Solaria.
The park covers an area of about 60,000 square metres and is characterised by large lawns separated by dense wooded areas. Among the most remarkable specimens in terms of age and size are cypresses, maples, cedars, horse chestnuts, pines, oaks, redwoods, yews, lindens, white poplars and ginkgo biloba.
In 1820, in the lowest part of the garden, "an Etruscan burial ground was found, formed by large stones placed one on top of the other, without lime, so as to form a vault". The stones were later reused to decorate a pond, which is located in the park.
Immersed in the park is the villa of the same name, dating back to the 14th century, which belonged to the Guidacci, a noble Florentine family, later to Francesco Boninsegni, and then through several weddings, the villa became the property of the Torrigiani family, who held it until the middle of the last century, when it was purchased by the American Carter Parvus.
In the 1930s the villa was converted into a nursing home and a new wing was added for hospital needs. Since 1982, it has been owned by the municipality of Sesto Fiorentino and is a hospice for the elderly, while the park is open to all.
Parco del Neto
With an extension of about 7 hectares it has maintained intact those characteristics, once general for the whole plain, of wetland, relict of a larger lake system with a network of paths bordered by rows of lime trees and plane trees.
Excellent personalities and aristocrats have succeeded one another in the Neto property, before the Municipal Administration of Calenzano bought it.
There are numerous tree species in the park, but the most spectacular and characteristic plant presence is undoubtedly the Taxodium (or 'marsh cypress'), a species that is over 50 metreshigh and has an incrediblelongevity: it often exceeds a thousand years.
Parco Villa Montalvo
The park of Villa Montalvo has been renovated several times to improve its usability, and today with its 19 hectares of vegetation it is a reference point for all the community of Campi. Renovated a few years ago, The Villa hosts the Library service and some cultural initiatives are organized during the summer period in the monumental gardens inside the Villa and in the rooms on the ground floor.
Cascine Park
Le Cascine was once the property of Alessandro and Cosimo I de’ Medici (sixteenth century) who purchased the land, using it as a hunting ground and a place to farm and breed cattle. During the 18th century, thanks to Pietro Leopoldo, the Habsburg-Lorraine Grand Duke of Tuscany, the area became accessible to the public, although only in some occasions (Court Feasts, Ascension day). In the same period (1785) the architect Giuseppe Manetti created important buildings such as the “Palazzina Reale” and the “Ghiacciaia-Piramide”.
Elisa Baciocchi, sister of Napoleon, Grand Duchess of Tuscany transformed definitely the Cascine in a public park (1807-1815), thus giving the city a vast green area. During the second half of the 19th century the architect Giuseppe Poggi planned a huge square (the present Piazza Vittorio Veneto), originally intended to be the entrance area to the park. The “Scuola di guerra aerea” is the last, most important architectural realization; it was created in 1938 by Raffaello Fagnoni.
In this big park, it is possible to have a picnics with children. Furthermore, you can rent bicycles or skates and enjoy summer in Le Pavoniere swimming pool.
