Giardino dell’ Orticultura

If it were nearer the city centre, the Giardino dell’ Orticultura would be famous. As it is, tourists rarely make it over to this impressive horticultural garden dating from 1859, when the local farming institute, the Accademia dei Georgofili decided to found an organization especially dedicated to gardening, the Società d'Orticoltura.

The garden's centrepiece is a crystal palace, the Tepidario designed by Giacomo Roster in 1879 for Italy's first National Horticultural Exhibition.

After serving in a second great exhibition in 1911 to celebrate 50 years of Italian unification, the Tepidario was neglected and falling over, and restored in the 1930s, then damaged in the war and since restored again. It is used for the garden's frequent events and shows, including the two weeks when it's seriously jam-packed, when it hosts one of Tuscany's biggest flower shows, the bi-annual Mostra Mercato di Piante e Fiori in late April and October. There are frequent events from May to September (and a popular snack bar in the kiosk) run by Giardino Arte e Cultura