In the beating heart of Florence, the “Giaridno dei simple”Among the oldest botanical garden in the world, offers visitors a fascinating journey through centuries of botany, beauty and curiosity
Il “Simple garden”from Florence, a dip in history
Founded in 1545 by the will of Cosimo I de ‘Medici, the Simple garden He was born as a study space for medical students, of the University of Florence, intended for the cultivation of medicinal plants, known then as “The simple”.
Today, walking among its avenues, you can still breathe the ancient atmosphere, immersed between over 5 thousand species of rare plants, colored flowers and monumental trees. The large nineteenth -century greenhouses, custodians of orchids, roses, azaleas, citrus fruits and tropical plants, make the garden a real oasis of biodiversity in the urban heart.
The Giardino dei Semplici in Florence is not only a place to visit, but an experience to live: an invitation to slow down, observe, breathe and let yourself be enchanted by a nature that tells centuries of history and is renewed every spring. A treasure hidden in the beating heart of the Renaissance.
The trees that tell time at the Giardino dei Semplici
Among the botanical wonders, real green giants have moved through the centuries. First of all, the tasso (Backed Taxus) planted in 1720 by Pier Antonio Micheli, then director of the garden.
Follow the majestic Cedro Dell’Himalaya and the cork of 1805, which, never deprived of its bark, represents a rare example of natural growth. Each tree tells a story, intertwining botany and collective memory of the city.
An open -air laboratory for young and old
It is not only the story that makes the garden of the simple special: today the botanical garden offers sensory and educational paths designed for all ages. From olfactory workshops all Botanical treasure huntspassing through activities that tell the link between plants and nutrition, the garden is confirmed as a dynamic educational space.
In spring, with the explosion of flowers and colors, the activities multiply, involving families and schools in immersive and exciting experiences.
A rare birds house and useful insects
The simple garden is not only a paradise for plants, but also a refuge for urban fauna. Here they nidify blacks, pectosses, uprues and the rare major red woodpecker, which find a house in the cavities of the great trees.
And among the flowers, butterflies, solitary bees and xylophagous insects like the majestic insects move Scarabeo Rhinoceronte. A particularly suggestive corner is the “bug hotel”a natural installation that hosts pollinating and parasitoid insects, silent but fundamental protagonists of the health of the ecosystem.
Live waters and small miracles: the Italian cored Triton
In the tanks of the Montagnola, dedicated to native aquatic plants, you can spot the Italian crest Triton, a rare and precious presence that testifies to the attention of the garden to the conservation of local biodiversity. A small natural miracle to be observed with amazement and respect, which makes the visit even more unique.