The Cascine in Florence

The secrets of the green heart of the city

It often happens that the tourists of Florence haven’t heard of the Parco delle Cascine, one of the largest parks in Europe, with its 160 hectares of English-style gardens, monumental trees and Neoclassical buildings shaped like small temples along the river Arno, at the entrance of the city.

This piece of nature and history of Florence will be given a new life this year, starting with a great event, the opening to the public of the new Opera theatre, the newborn lyrical theatre in Italy and in Europe, whose building and lights are to be found at the very entrance of the Cascine park.

Just after the large square-garden named after Vittorio Gui, who founded the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino (which has the same importance in Florence as the Scala Opera House in Milan).

It’s the new home of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino foundation and of its lyrical performances, symphonic concerts and ballets: a big theatre, designed and conceived so that it can be the location not only for classical music events, but also for concerts and performances of any kind and genre.

And this is just the beginning of the new course of Le Cascine (as the Florentines usually call their park ), where the old and the new, history and high technology, free time and culture seem tocome together in an exciting blend.

In the meanwhile, here some tips for those who don’t know this park or haven’t visited it for a while: you just need a pair of rollerblades or a bike –on rent also at the Centro Visite, main square of the Cascine park and open every day from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., where we suggest you ask for a map of the park- and use them to spend half a day discovering some symbols of the Parco delle Cascine: the Anfiteatro delle Cornacchie, the Indianomonument, the Quercione meadow. And for those who love horse riding, the reference point among the Florentines is the Centro Ippico Toscano.