Florence and its surroundings, environments to preserve
To combat traffic pollution, the city has gradually reduced the place of the car over the past ten years. Today, the entire centre of Florence is a ZTL (zona a traffico limitato) where only taxis, buses and motorists with a special permit can travel. Entry into this area is controlled by cameras that read license plates. It is announced by clearly visible signs. In parallel, public transport has been developed and the city benefits from a good bus and tram network.
Cycling in the centre of Florence is not particularly recommended, but there are two cycle paths for great getaways. The Arno cycle path (ciclovia dell'Arno) extends 270 kilometres from the springs of the river on Mount Falterona to the mouth near Pisa, via Florence. In the city, this cycle path begins at the Saint-André de Rovezzano church and alternates between the left and right banks of the Arno River. Another itinerary, also well designed, for both pedestrians and cyclists, the Renaissance path (Anello del Rinascimento) is a 172-kilometre circle around the city, passing through the main tourist attractions on the outskirts and many villages such as Fiesole, Calenzano and Vaglia.Parks and gardens
The Environmental Department of the Municipality of Florence manages more than 400 green areas, covering a total area of 375 hectares. The largest green space in the city is the Parco delle Cascine, covering 160 hectares, just on the edge of the historic centre. It is a strip of greenery that runs along the Arno River for 3.5 kilometres up to the Mugnone River and was once home to the Medici hunting reserve. There are sports fields, a swimming pool and two racecourses. The second largest green space is the Anconella Park, with an area of 30 hectares. It is an ideal place for picnics and leisure activities.
The most elegant and famous garden is the Giardino Boboli. It hosts sculptures in the middle of water bodies, fountains with water lilies, small temples and artificial caves. Not far away, the Giardino Bardini and its villa offer beautiful panoramic views of the city. The Giardino Bardini is divided into three parts: the orchard in the east, the baroque staircase in the centre and the English garden in the west. Finally, for plant fans, the Iris Garden (Il Giardino dell'Iris) is home to over 2,000 varieties of Iris. Every year, between April and May, the "International dell'Iris" competition is held here, organized since 1954 and open to the public. The Rose Garden (Giardino delle Rose) is home to more than 350 types of roses.Eating well, an art of living
It is not difficult to find fresh, local and pesticide-free produce in Tuscany. To stock up on the region's sweet delicacies - olive oil, wine, cheese, in particular - the Mercato Centrale is a must. Less known, the Market of La Fierucola, every third Sunday of the month in Piazza Santo Spirito, is dedicated to organic products. Another point of sale for natural products, this time cosmetics, is the Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella, attached to the Santa Maria Novella Basilica. This former pharmacy, which is worth a look, offers perfumery products, body care and sweets made by craftsmen and protected by a label of controlled origin. Since 2016, in the historic centre, legislation prohibits the installation of any restaurant using pre-cooked and frozen products. McDonald's tried to set up shop in Piazza del Duomo a few years ago, offering a local formula, but the Florentines and their mayor sent him a rejection letter. Let's not forget that Italy is the country that invented "Slow-food"!
The rules of life of the environmentally friendly tourist
In 2017, the city of Florence launched the #EnjoyRespectFirenze campaign, encouraging tourists to adopt more respectful behaviours. Here are some of the rules she recommends: plan your trip, use public toilets or those in bars or restaurants where you eat, bring a reusable bottle for drinking water from the fountains (there is even sparkling water in Piazza della Signoria), respect places of worship, picnic in appropriate areas (not on the steps of churches or monuments), buy handicrafts and taste local products. The Florentines are sorting it out. Non-recyclable waste should be put in the blue bins, paper in the yellow bins, glasses in the blue bell-shaped containers, organic waste in the brown containers with green labels.
National parks in the vicinity
Tuscany has some of the most beautiful parks in Italy. The Tuscan Archipelago National Park, created in 1996, is the largest marine park in Europe. It includes a terrestrial part, as well as the islands of Elba, Giglio, Capraia, Montecristo, Pianosa, Giannutri, Gorgona, and 56,766 ha of sea. This archipelago has a particular fauna: badgers, martens, Coenonympha elbana butterflies and many small lizards. On the island of Montecristo, it is not uncommon to encounter the wild goat Capra aegagrus hircus. In the Tosco-Emilian Apennine National Park, between rocks, lakes and grasslands, you may see a sheep, deer or golden eagle, or pick delicious blueberries. Within this park, the Orecchiella Nature Reserve, created in 1980, aims to preserve the extraordinary variety of fauna and flora in the Apuan Alps. The Casentino National Park of Forests covers a vast area of fir, beech and chestnut forests between Tuscany and Emilia Romagna.
The Parco naturale della Maremma, established in 1975, extends along the Tyrrhenian coast over 9,800 ha and contains a precious variety of ecosystems, such as the dunes of Uccellina. The Apuan Alps Regional Park, between the provinces of Massa Carrara and Lucca, with its superb ivory white mountain range, just a stone's throw from the sea, has another characteristic of Tuscany.
