Parks and Green Spaces in Florence

Moving to Florence can be a huge adjustment for students for a wide range of reasons. No matter where you are from, when you arrive the city feels different. The culture, the weather, the architecture, and so much more will be an adjustment.  Florence is known for its rich history which is rooted in the buildings. So many buildings, all with a story and all made out of stone. That’s the other thing about Florence; the stone. If you stick to the city center with the commercial shops and famous monuments you will be hard pressed to find a single tree or blade of grass. This can be shocking to students and tourists alike, with so many cities around the world having incorporated nature into the construction of the city. 

The good news is Florence is full of gardens and pockets of nature if you know where to look and even if you walk in one direction for about five minutes you are sure to stumble across a park. 

From the street it may look like there are blocks and blocks of buildings, however so many have a courtyard or garden hidden inside the stone walls. Many cafés and restaurants also have lovely outdoor seating nestled in greenery. Shake Café (Via Camillo Cavour 67/69r) is a popular study spot for students and has a small garden in the back of the café. You can bring your homework, get some food or a smoothie, and sit outside all day. Another café/restaurant is Ditta Artigianale (Via Giosuè Carducci 2/4r) located near the St. Ambrogio market. This restaurant has a medium sized garden through the back with tables and covered archways if you need to get out of the sun. 

Besides places to get food, Florence also has many nice parks just outside the city center that are beautiful enough for a midday stroll and big enough for a picnic with friends. 

Across the Ponte Vecchio are the famous Boboli Gardens which do have an entrance fee but are worth a visit or two. Walking through the gardens is the perfect way to escape the bustle of the city and enjoy some peace and quiet. Just behind the Boboli Gardens there is a picnic area called Parco Giochi and the Giardino del Bobolino. This garden is full of different plant and tree species and has a stone structure resembling a waterfall into a pond. 

Very close is also Giardino Bardini, on Via de’ Bardi, 1. This wonderful place reaches its peak in early April when wisteria flowers blossom. Tracing its history back to medieval times, the Bardini Garden belonged to a series of wealthy families. Originally constructed for agricultural purposes, it was transformed over the course of the centuries into a splendid Italianate garden. In the beginning of the 1900’s it was used by Stefano Bardini (known as the “prince of the antiquarians”) as an impressive setting to entertain his wealthy clientele. You need to climb a very steep street to get there, but it’s really worth it!

In this same part of town you will also find the Giardino dell’Iris, where each year it’s possible  to witness the flowering of the iris at the beginning May. It is located in piazzale Michelangelo and was founded in 1954 with the aim of organizing an annual international contest to reward the best varieties of iris. Florence is considered the natural home of the iris because of the bond that this flower always had with the history of the city. The emblem of Florence is a red iris in a white field, and not a lily, as is mistakenly believed. The site offers panoramic views of the city thanks to a surface of approximately two and a half hectares on the hill of an olive grove. It is divided by paths and stone paths, flowerbeds and stairs. There is also no entrance fee to this garden. 

Also nearby is the Giardino delle Rose (Viale Giuseppe Poggi 2), one of the most beautiful panoramic gardens of Florence. Here bloom some varieties of roses even in late autumn. Created by the architect Giuseppe Poggi in 1865, the giardino delle Rose is nowadays a sculptural park of reduced dimensions. Located on the hill of San Miniato, just below the piazzale Michelangelo, this garden holds a privileged position and stands as a perfect “green balcony” towards San Niccolò. From this place it is possible to view the whole city at a glance. The garden of the Roses has around a thousand varieties of roses and other ornamental plants, in addition to twelve sculptures by Jean-Michel Folon. Here one could read, take a nap, or was around. Giardino delle Rose is open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m and has free entrance.

In this same part of town is Arcetri, where you will feel that the city and the stone buildings are miles away, and will be able to explore the miles of quaint roads, with occasional views of both the city and of spectacular homes that people have built here over the course of many centuries. Just be mindful of the cars, they drive pretty fast along these winding roads! 

From Porta Romana, but heading the other way, you can walk along the beautiful via di Bellosguardo which, as the name suggests, offers incredible views of the Duomo and the city, stop at Prato dello Strozzino for a short break, and then reach the park of Villa Strozzi, another beautiful place that will make you feel like you are in another world. 

Quite close to Marist Housing, on the other side of Piazza della Liberta’, you will find the Giardino dell’Orticoltura(Via Vittorio Emanuele II, 4,). This garden, located at the beginning of via Bolognese, was born in the middle of the nineteenth century as an experimental botanical garden. Today, it’s a quiet place where locals walk their dogs and have picnics during the weekends. It’s featured by the renaissance Loggetta Bondi and by nineteenth century large glass and iron greenhouse designed by Giacomo Roster. The greenhouse is used for celebrating events, parties, food and cultural activities. Even if located not far from the tourist bustle in the historic city center, the Giardino dell’Orticoltura is still a ‘neighborhood park’ and has a bar which is frequented mostly by Florentine university students.

Take a ten minute walk from Giardino dell’Orticoltura and you will find Giardino di Villa Fabbricotti. This park, located on Via Vittorio Emanuele II, is not a touristy place. On a Saturday noon you will find local people lying on the benches sunbathing, reading, drinking beer or walking dogs. The villa and the park were built in the fifteenth century by the rich and powerful Strozzi family. In 1864 the property was bought by the businessman Giuseppe Fabbricotti, who later donated it to the Municipality of Florence. The garden is made up of pines, holm oaks, palm trees, and cypresses. The art works that decorate the garden are eclectic: huge vases, marble and terracotta sculptures, a Pantheon-style chapel and a small tholos facing a neo-Gothic tower.

Another 5 minute from Villa Fabbricotti and you will reach the incredible park of the Stibbert Museum, which is mesmerizing not only for the beautiful nature but also for all its statues and smaller buildings scattered around the park. Here you will find an Egyptian temple by Frederick Stibbert in the middle of an artificial lake, a circular Hellenic temple with a dome of enameled tiles, as well as sculptures, and caves. Frederick Stibbert was born in Florence in 1838, but had English origins. He was a passionate traveler and collector of antiques and transformed the family house of Montughi into a museum, which today belongs to the cultural heritage of Florence.

The river also offers some respite from buildings, with very nice spot where people gather to relax in the sun, have a picnic, read a book, or just look at the water go by. Pescaia di San Niccolo’ in Lungarno dell Zecca Vecchia is one of those, and in the summer this and the stretch of green space after Ponte San Niccolo’ fill up with outdoor bars with live music and a great atmosphere. 

Last but not least, Parco delle Cascine is the biggest and most famous in Florence, it stretches along the Arno river and is a great place to spend the day outside. We recommend getting a bike if you want to cover it all, or just bring a blanket and enjoy the nature and festive atmosphere, especially on Sundays.

If you are ready to venture out of the city, options for green spaces are endless. Florence is surrounded by hills and two of our favorites that are still relatively close to the city are Monte Ceceri. Monte Ceceri Park is located in Fiesole, on the eastern edges of the ancient Etruscan walls. The mountain, once completely barren, was at the centre of pietra serena acting as a quarry since at least the 15h century. The area contains reserves of this precious stone, unique in its kind and used for building the most prestigious monuments in Florence. Thanks to this material, an impressive tradition of artistry developed from the ancient Etruscan and Roman eras to today.

Monte Ceceri Park is 108 acres in size and includes historic places like the Cava del Braschi, the first quarry encountered coming from Pelagaccio, and Cava Sarti, a large open-air quarry located below the panoramic terrace. The terrace is named after Leonardo da Vinci because of his experiment with human flight that took place here.

Villa Demidoff is one of the Medici villas recognized as an UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its Park offers the enchanting beauty of nature as well as artistic and architectural riches, such as the statue of the “Apennine” by Giambologna. A picnic here is perfect with nice weather! Admission to the park is free but it isn’t always open.

So, while at first it might feel like Florence has no green spaces at all, it doesn’t take long to find gardens and parks where to spend a quiet afternoon alone or to enjoy in good company!