Pistoia and surroundings...

never crowded, but very interesting art city, with its Ospedale del Ceppo, an hospital founded in 1277, reference pont during the plague oin 1348, famous for its wonderful glazed terracotta reliefs on the façade...

...or even the wonderful, touching statues of the Visitation, representing Mary and Elizabeth, freestandig human size statues completely made of glazed terracotta by famous Renaissance sculptor Luca della Robbia...

...or the armonious Piazza Duomo

But in the surroundings of Pistoia there is an unexpected Villa, another property of the medici, in very bad confitions actually, but the garden is  fascinating and so is the Limonaia:

these are some of the hidden treasures. Pistoia deserves a visit, and it is easily reachable from Florence. We would be glad to share this with you!

Villa Gamberaia, near Florence

If you are looking for an incredible and unique garden, never crowded, with wonderful views and interesting design, the garden of Villa Gamberaia is the best place to see.

we offer guided tours to this wonderful garden, for small private groups only. Feel free to contact us for any request!

Lungwort (Pulmonaria plant)

This beautiful hairy plant is part of the underwood of Pratolino Park.

It is just one of the many "weeds", a perennial wild plant...This plant is native to western Asia and Europe.
There are about 20 species of Pulmonaria but  "Pulmo", the name, means "Lung" in latin.
This plant is  actually of therapeutic importance for lungs: according to the ancient Doctrine of Signature, herbs and their parts resembling human organs can help to treat diseases of that organ: the grey spots on the leaves look like infected lungs. Therefore the Lungwort came into light for treatments against lung troubles.

Also, this plant is very sensitive to toxins in the area, so you can find it only in unpolluted area! And that is surprisingly not far from Florence.

Parks around Florence

Pratolino Park, in the north area of Florence is a great trip in summer!

This is a public park open during the week end during the summer season. It was once the private park and garden of a wonderful villa, built for Francesco Ist de' Medici at the end of the XVI century.

The highlight of the park is the Appennino Statue and lake, a huge bearded man looking into the lake, full of Lotus flowers. But the park is much more than this.... This wonderful place  deserves a half day tour, and maybe more. I wish you will be able to see it one day!

Not only Florence

When US people say "Tuscany" they often mean the rolling hills covered with vineyards and olive trees in the core of the region. But Tuscany is so much more! Wherever you go it's just beautiful. In this odd summer, so poor of foreign tourists for the horrible pandemic that has suddenly stopped international journeys, I'm spending my holidays on a small island in front of the Tuscan coast. Elba is the biggest island of a group of tiny ones off the Tuscan coast. An hour's journey and you're in heaven! Cristal clear water, fascinating rocks, hidden bays and lots of accommodation. A smart idea to discover an unspoiled corner of Tuscany next time you come, as soon as this odious virus  will be only a bad memory

olives

Summer has finished. We now have time to enjoy the autumn food...Let's pick the olives to make fresh oil for bruschettas! In the countryside you can see people climbing olive trees or using ladders to reach the highest olives on the tree, letting them fall down on the nets. Here in Tuscany we pick the olives with the hands and soon they get pressed in the olive mill. The oil is ready!

 The Tuscan olive oil is not only very good (one of the best) but also very healthy. This is the right season to tour around in the countryside and visit oil mills and farms to taste the fresh pressed extra vergine olive oil.
Contact us for suggestions or tours.