Not only churches, museums and exhibitions… Florence is colored of spring!
Spring is finally here and Florence is preparing for the flowering of various plants in every corner of the city. For a different weekend, discovering many species of flowers but also for a relaxing afternoon, we recommend two Florentine gardens that should not be missed!
Mark in your calendar the date of the April 25th, 2016 when the Iris Garden will reopen for a few weeks, just until 20 May 2016. Every day, in fact, from 10 am to 12.30 pm and from 3 pm to 7 pm you can visit the garden which houses a permanent exhibition of Iris (bearded, dwarf, Japanese, etc.) and other plants of various kinds. The garden of about two and a half hectares, born to be the official venue of the international competition for the best variety of Iris, also offers a spectacular view over Florence.
This oasis preserves some Iris that are protected species, now endangered. The Iris paradise is now run by the Italian Iris Society and is open only at certain times of the year (from 25/04/2016 to 20/05/2016), but on appointment and booking is possible to visit throughout the year. This place can be reached on foot directly from Piazzale Michelangelo or by bus, ATAF 12 or 13, from Santa Maria Novella station, the entrance is free. For further information, please visit the website http://www.irisfirenze.it/
Not far from the above mentioned garden, along the road that leads to the Piazzale Michelangelo, there is another must to see that can not be missed, the Rose Garden. Open to the public every day of the year (except Christmas and New Year), from 9 am to 8 pm, the garden is home to 1000 different species in addition to 350 varieties of roses which the oldest dates back to 1500. Implanted in the late of the nineteenth century, in 1998 it was increased with the Japanese garden designed by the architect Yasuo Kitayama and the bronze sculptures by the belgian artist Jean Michel Folon. The visit of the garden is free. For more information, visit the website http://www.firenze.net/turismo/cm_dettaglio.wbs?id_contenuto=4339&id_categorie=25
