Italy Gardens – Florence and Siena

We made our way into the Tuscany region of Italy and the city of Florence. The beautiful scenery of this region is what most people think of when they think of Italy. The rolling, picturesque hills are seen on postcards and in paintings. We were there during the first part of fall and the hills were just starting to change color. We spent a few days in the heart of Florence, walking the city. We were surprised at the number and location of the city parks. You take your life into your own hands when you walk the streets trying to get to the parks, but you are not the only one. We found the parks to be well used.

This fountain is in a park is near the Firenze Fiera near the central train station. Here some of the locals strolled, some sat chatting on benches. We even saw one couple sharing a bottle of wine (what is Italy without wine!, we will take you to a winery later). The local botanical gardens are located in the old city too, not far away from this park.

Some of the container plantings were pretty elaborate.

Check out the containers in front of this restaurant.

We then traveled to Siena. A lot of these small fortress towns are built on hills and are surrounded by forests and orchards. Because of the location you have steep streets and alleys.

I noticed a café down this street (on the left) that had planters designed for the slope so they would stay level. Even the chairs had 2 legs shorter than the others so you can use them on the hill with out falling over.

Next stop Assisi

Jeff Gustin
Garden Time Producer