Synergistic gardens

Synergistic agriculture in Italy is having a great success. It was developed by Emilia Hazelip, Spanish permaculturist, in France. She tried to adapt Fukuoka's natural farming to the Mediterranean dry climate.

I had the honour and luck to know her, as I was involved in the project of Solaria Centre of alternative/renewable energies and permaculture in Italy. This project unfortunately failed, but she held a workshop there and we laid down a synergistic garden. This vegetable garden provided good food for the small community. And good fruits for later and other new synergistic gardens.
She died in 2003, but still today many people follow her conceipts. The concept of mulch garden is well known in Permaculture, mulching is a very common technique to cover the soil, retain humidity, fertilize the soil. The soil shouldn't be pressed or compacted, not even digged. weeds are removed by hand...
It is possible to visit some synergistic gardens that have been created in the last years in the surroundings of Florence.

Hiking tour with wonderful gardens

If you enjoy walking around the hills and the green side of Florence, a nice tour could start from the city centre and, along the via Crucis and the Rose Garden, we could reach the Large Piazzale Michelangelo, a huge terrace overlooking the city. Copies of Michelangelo 's masterpieces are in the middle of the square since the creation of this area soon dedicated to him. Not fare above is the wonderful romanesque Church of San Miniato, with all its secrets and symbols. The monks still live in the convent. Through nice walled streets, surrounded by olive groves, we can then reach both the Boboli and the Bardini Gardens, wonderful historical gardens with unforgettable views  of the city.

Michelangelo Buonarroti

Famouus all over the world Michelangelo left several works of art in Florence. A full day tour in Florence can include The Basilica of Santa Maria Novella, where Michelangelo, still young apprentice, helped his teacher Domenico Ghirlandaio during the execution of the frescoes in the Tornabuoni Chapel. Then the San Lorenzo Church, Medici Chapels and Medicean Library, where the artist worked as an architect as well, and, of course the Gallery of the Academy, to see the real David, taken here in 1873 from the Piazza della Signoria, and the unfinished "Slaves", replaced by plaster copies in the Grotto of Buontalenti (Boboli Garden) in 1909. In Palazzo Vecchio it is unfortunately impossible to see any traces of his huge unfinished fresco representing the Battle of Càscina, but his statue representing "Il Genio della Vittoria" is there, with his probable self portrait. In the Museum of Opera del Duomo his wonderful Pietà can be admired in a special room, and so the expressive face of Nicodemus, another self portrait of the artist. In the Bargello National Museum some early works are exposed, such as the famous Baccus, the bust of Brutus, the Tondo Pitti and Apollo. In Casa Buonarroti some other early works by him are exposed, like the Battle of the Centaurs, or the Madonna of the staircase.

Michelangelo was buried in the Basilica of Santa Croce, his grave monument was designed by Giorgio Vasari.
In Florence we can follow the different steps of the carreer and like of this outstanding artist.