Florence has a new garden, it is the former Michelangelo campsite, closed since 2015, which is reborn as a green area after ten years of abandonment, thanks to a redevelopment project financed with 900 thousand euros of European React funds, approved by the municipal council on the proposal of the environmental councilor Andrea Giorgio.
The public green area was inaugurated yesterday, Saturday 15 June, in the presence of the still mayor Dario Nardella, of the candidate Sara Funero, of the councilors Andrea Giorgio and Cosimo Guccione. After years of closure and abandonment, the area is transformed into a charming garden for the residents of the neighborhood with a view of the Duomo. Preserving the olive grove of 700 plants, the new park will offer a nearby green space, equipped with play areas for the little ones, meditative spaces, places for aggregation and to host cultural events.
This park will also be the first to have a specific cultural vocation: these days there is the Street Levels gallery crew who will be working on hundreds of square meters of walls creating works of contemporary street art. Located south of the historic center of Florence, on the San Miniato hill, the former campsite extends for approximately four hectares, from the highest part on Viale Michelangelo to the lower part adjacent to Via dei Bastioni, bordering the Iris Garden.
The project aims to preserve the character of the place, recovering the existing architectural and vegetal elements, and adding natural elements and furnishings for full enjoyment by all, modernizing the garden through cutting-edge structures. The garden will be divided into different functional areas, including a rest area equipped for picnics, relaxation areas for reading or meeting, and an amphitheater for readings and cultural events. There will also be a children’s play area equipped with inclusive games.
The enormous olive grove will be preserved and made available to schools, associations and citizens of the neighborhood with a collaboration agreement for care and production. The terraces, fences, walls and former pitches bordered by laurels and prunus lusitanica will be arranged, and new hedges will be created to define the various areas of the garden. The project also includes a drip irrigation system for the new shrubs and trees and a lighting system to ensure the safety and usability of the park in the evening hours.
