The Gardens of Florence

Ponte Vecchio

Last Thursday, we all went to Florence on a field trip.  First we went on the Ponte Vecchio, which is their famous bridge that goes over the Arno River. It now houses many expensive shops that are mainly jewelry stores. It has a great view of the river, though. We actually went to Florence during their fashion week so we saw many interesting outfits worn by the locals. We then made our way to the Boboli Gardens which is at the Pitti Palace, formerly owned by the Medici family. It also happened to be right across the street from Dr. Lombadini's middle school, which is now a bank.

Cornflower at Boboli
Gardens

Fountain at Boboli Gardens

The Boboli Gardens is a massive but gorgeous Italian garden. One of the first sites we visited in there was the Buontalenti Grotto. It contains these figures that look as if they are formed out of stalactites which creates a natural feeling in this grotto. We then walked around the garden which has massive hedges everywhere that create giant walls. We also saw many varieties of flowers and citrus in certain parts of the garden. much of the space was very open and much was greenery as opposed to flowers. In the garden, we saw a long fountain that went all the way down a stretch of a pathway. Dr. Lombardini explained how the fountain was used to draw animals into the area in order for the Medici family to be able to hunt. There were many beautiful archways to walk under to help shield from the sun. The garden also had a gorgeous view of the city of Florence. After we finished at the Boboli Gardens, some of us went with Dr. Lombardini to the Bardini Garden. The Bardini garden is an Italian Renaissance garden that is very close to the Boboli Gardens. Although it was not as big as the Boboli Gardens, they had nice archways and different layers to the garden.

Quinten and I using our Amazing
Race skills

Florence has beautiful gardens that continue to impress. I'm excited to return this Friday to another one of the Medici villas. Until then, Ciao!

Bethany Kennedy