Giardino Pubblico di Tivoli

---

Giardino Pubblico di Tivoli (Tivoli Public Garden)
Viale Machiavelli
Florence, January 2024

Giardino di Bobolino

---

Giardino di Bobolino
Viale Machiavelli
Florence, January 2024

“This public park, located on Viale Machiavelli near Porta Romana, is a sloping garden, entirely made up of grassy slopes, steps and gravel yards with pretty green furniture solutions including tanks and artificial caves; the majestic ‘Cedar of incense’ located on the left side of the central flowerbed is worth a mention.” (Giardino di Bobolino, Feel Florence)

Cenador

---

Cenador (Arbour)
Jardín Botánico-Histórico La Concepción
Camino del Jardín Botánico
Málaga, March 2024

“Built by the Heredia family, this is one of the most beautiful iron pergolas to be found anywhere in Spain. The plant which covers it (Wisteria sinensis), a creeper belonging to the Fabaceae family, is originally from China. The twelve roots originally planted by the Loring-Heredia family back in 1857 now climb over the surrounding ficuses and palms up to heights of almost 20 metres. Its gentle aroma and bunches of lilac flowers create a magical atmosphere, turning this spot into a unique enclave that can be enjoyed for about a fortnight in late March and early April.” (The arbour, Jardín Botánico-Historico de Málaga)

Amphiteatre Ernesto de Pascale

---

Amphitheatre Ernesto de Pascale
Viale del Pegaso
Parco delle Cascine (Cascine Park)
Florence, January 2024

“The amphitheatre was named in March 2015 after a well-known son of Florence, Ernesto de Pascale, music journalist and blues-rock musician who died 2011.” (Parco delle Cascine, Wikipedia)

Mirador histórico

---

Mirador (Observation deck)
Jardín Botánico-Histórico La Concepción
Camino del Jardín Botánico
Málaga, March 2024

“The estate of La Concepción belonged to the Marquises of Casa Loring from 1850 through to 1990, when it was purchased by Malaga City Council. Its owners made it the centre of Malaga's social life and created an impressive park where they planted exotic species brought by their commercial fleet from Latin America, the Philippines and Australia. This is a romantic garden with winding paths, ponds, waterfalls and streams. It has lush semi-tropical vegetation and wonderful examples of rubber plants, palm trees and some spectacular Araucarias. Special mention should also be made of the Loringiano Museum, a small Doric style church, and the beautiful wisteria-covered pergola close to the palace.” (Botanical-Historical Gardens of La Concepción, Spain.info)

Huelin Park

---

Parque de Huelin
Carretera de Cádiz
Málaga, March 2024

“The Huelin Park is located between the district of the same name and the Abbey Gardens. Green space is built on a former industrial area contaminated. It is equipped for the ride and has a playground for kids and a dog area. It has lakes and unique architectural elements like a lighthouse. The park covered an area of 32,000 square meters of gardens and has over 700 different species of trees.” (The Huelin Park, Diputación de Málaga)

Parque de Huelin

---

Parque de Huelin
Carretera de Cádiz
Málaga, March 2024

“Among its most notable attractions is the large lake that occupies the central part of the park. In the middle of it you can see an islet with palm trees and a small fishing boat, traditionally used on the coast of Malaga. One side of the park is bordered by a small artificial stream, crossed by a beautiful wooden bridge.” (Parque de Huelin, ViajaMálaga)

Jardines de la Catedral

---

Jardines de la Catedral (Cathedral Gardens)
Calle Císter
Málaga, March 2024

“The Cathedral gardens are formed by species such as cypress, ficus, roses, bird of paradise, black olives, bitter orange, mandarin, privet, Canary Island date palm, and other date palms. Especially beautiful is the so-called Patio de los Naranjos, with its entry in chains. It highlights a sapling of aromatic white flowers called Toxicophlea spectabilis (toxic). This species comes from the Cape of Good Hope, being curious to use poison arrows through knowledge of sap. Black olives can be also found.” (Cathedral Gardens, Diputación de Málaga)

Egyptian goose goslings

---

Egyptian goose goslings
Round Pond, Kensington Garden
London, May 2023

“The British populations of the Egptian goose date back to the 17th century when it was introduced to estates and parks, though the species was only formally added to the British bird list in 1971. The British introductions were the first outside its native range; however, these did not spread widely and are not known to have expanded into other countries. In Great Britain, it is found mainly in East Anglia, and in various locations along the River Thames, where it breeds at sites with open water, short grass and suitable nesting locations (either islands, holes in old trees or amongst epicormic shoots on old trees). During the winter, they are widely dispersed within river valleys, where they feed on short grass and cereals. In the United Kingdom in 2009, it was officially declared a non-native species. Accordingly, Egyptian geese in Great Britain may be shot without special permission if they cause problems.” (Egyptian goose, Wikipedia)

Parkside Pavilion

---

Parkside Pavilion by DSDHA, 2007
Potters Fields Park
Tooley Street, Southwark
London, May 2023

“Architects DSDHA have created two cafe pavilions at Potters Fields Park in London, England. Parkside Pavilion (top and above) is a charred structure set beside City Hall while the Blossom Square pavilion located next to Tower Bridge (below) is built of whitened timber. As the UK's first charred timber building, Parkside Pavilion has a distinctive silhouette that offsets the iconic structures that surround it, and continues DSDHA's research into contemporary forms of urban architecture and public space.” (Potters Fields Park pavilions by DSDHA, Dezeen)

Red Cross Garden

---

Red Cross Garden
Redcross Way, Southwark
London, May 2023

“Red Cross Garden is a small park in Southwark, London. It is located on Redcross Way, and named after the street, although the name of the garden is spelt with two words while the street is spelt with one. It is in the London Borough of Southwark. The garden and the associated cottages designed by Elijah Hoole form an early example of one of Octavia Hill’s social housing schemes.” (Red Cross Garden, Wikipedia)

Mugnone fountain

---

Mugnone fountain by Giambologna, 1577
Parco mediceo di Villa Demidoff
Via Fiorentina, Pratolino
Florence, May 2022

“Apart from Colossus of the Apennines, these include: the Fountain of Jupiter, the copy of which was installed by the Demidoff in the late 19th century; the hexagonal chapel with exterior loggia, in which the last Demidoff princess is buried; the Mugnone fountain, the statue for which was sculpted by Giambologna (1577); the Maschera fishpond, used also as a swimming-pool and adapted for hot baths; the large aviary; the pheasant house; Cupid's grotto, designed by Buontalenti in 1577; and the Neoclassical Montili lodge, built around 1820 by architect Luigi De Cambray-Digny. The park also contains centuries-old oaks, cedars and horse chestnuts, which are every bit as impressive as the man-made monuments.” (Parco di Villa Demidoff, Regione Toscana)

Bench in a meadow

---

Bench in a meadow (with Gianna)
Park of Pratolino, Villa Demidoff
Via Fiorentina, Vaglia
Florence, May 2022

“The Park of Pratolino is one of the most beautiful parks in Florence surroundings. Even though the ancient Medicean villa and park has been destroyed, with just few monuments from that era remaining, it is easy to imagine its beauty and charm.” (Villa Demidoff, A Medici Villa, Discover Tuscany)

Choir rehearsal

---

Choir rehearsal
Burggarten, Josefsplatz
Vienna, June 2018

“When Napoleon’s troops withdrew from Vienna in 1809, clutching the Treaty of Schönbrunn and their souvenir fridge magnets, the mess they left behind demanded a redesign of the area around the Hofburg palace complex. Part of this redesign was the creation of the Kaisergarten or Emperor’s garden, a private area for the Imperial family to (I assume) take off their shoes and enjoy a picnic. The authorities extended the area in 1863, then reduced it again a few decades later to create space for the Neue Burg palace extension that now borders one side of the park. Following the demise of the monarchy and the change to a republic in 1919, the Kaisergarten passed to the state. Many streets and similar were renamed to remove the Imperial connection. And so the Emperor’s Garden simply became the Burggarten.” (Burggarten, Visiting Vienna)

Parco dell’Anconella

---

Parco dell’Anconella
Via Villamagna
Florence, May 2022

Observatory

---

Observatory
Villa Strozzi al Boschetto
Via Pisana
Florence, May 2022

“Built in the mid-16th century for Giovan Battista Strozzi, the park reflects his desire to expand the Cafaggio forest, for which he also acquired a number of the neighboring properties. His residence was built inside the park featuring a large garden, water 'games’ and decorative woodland elements. It wasn’t until after the Second World War that the park and villa were purchased by the City of Florence and transformed into a public park named the Garden of Villa Strozzi or the Boschetto Gardens.” (Villa Strozzi, Destination Florence)

Colosso dell’Appennino

---

Colosso dell’Appennino (Apennine Colossus) by Giambologna, 1580
Parco mediceo di Villa Demidoff
Via Fiorentina, Pratolino
Florence, May 2022

“The Apennine Colossus (Italian: Colosso Appenninico) is a stone statue, approximately 11 m high, in the estate of the Villa Demidoff in Vaglia, Tuscany in Italy. The colossus was erected in the late 1580s by the Flemish sculptor Jean de Boulogne, better known as Giambologna, as a personification of the Apennine mountains. The site was originally part of the estate of the Villa di Pratolino, which was built by Bernardo Buontalenti from 1569 onwards on orders by the Grand Duke of Tuscany Francesco de' Medici.” (Apennine Colossus, Wikipedia)

Lake and footbridge

---

Lake and footbridge
San Donato Park
Via Pertini, Novoli
Florence, December 2021

“The area was divided into residential and commercial building lots, a part was occupied by faculties of the University of Florence and the New Palace of Justice, and finally 12 hectares were allotted as public park, the San Donato Park. A decision was made to plant 530 trees of varied species, some characteristic of the territory, others rare or typical of other soils. Mostly ash trees, hornbeams, willows, poplars, magnolias, but also windmill palms, American styraxes, ginko biloba and oaks. When they are all grown up, they will create a very special and interesting atmosphere, but it will take time. At the center of the park there is a lake, crossed by a pedestrian bridge and inhabited by a happy family of ducks . A small hill planted entirely with cypresses was built with the excavated earth.” (Il Parco di San Donato a Novoli, Leonardo da Vinci Art School)

Turó de les tres creus

---

Turó de les tres creus
Parc Güell (Park Güell)
Carmel Hill
Barcelona, March 2017

“This is the highest part of the park, from here you can see most of Barcelona. Currently there are three crosses on top of a hill of stone, named ‘Calvari’. Two of them indicate the cardinal points (N-S-E-W), and the other pointing skyward. But this was not the wishes of Gaudí, he wanted to build the chapel here in the top of the Park Güell, but they found some prehistoric remains. So he used the remains as an inspiration and build this monument with some similarities with the caves.” (Turó de les tres creus, Park Güell)

L'escalinata del drac

---

L'escalinata del drac (Dragon Stairway)
Parc Güell (Park Güell)
Carmel Hill
Barcelona, March 2017