Parks and gardens in Siena for kids of all ages

Siena’s gardening enthusiasm

Not only monuments, museums and works of art, not just stones, marble and bricks: a city dedicated to good living can not overlook the presence of green areas and, in fact, the spaces in which treat yourself to a little rest sitting comfortably of where to let the kids play are abundant in Siena, also in the city center. Whether it’s simple areas equipped with games for the little ones or places of interest for historic, scientific or naturalistic reasons, parks and gardens in Siena are found everywhere, even when you’d least expect it and, walking in this medieval city, you’d never experience that suffocating sensation, typical of contexts in which the buildings have prevailed on the trees.

Outdoors, to behold and lear

Those found walking through Siena are often much more than gardens, they are places in which to learn something interesting while being outdoors. For example, one of the most popular parks is located in the sixteenth-century Medici Fortress, that also often hosts exhibitions and events. For those, instead, who want to learn all about plants, the perfect place is the Botanical Garden of the University of Siena, located in Via Pier Andrea Mattioli, near the beautiful Church of St. Augustine. Here you can get acquainted with the medicinal plants, as well the indigenous and exotic ones in an setting that reproduces various natural environments with rocks, lakes and ponds; paying a small entrance fee. And, what if they told you that just 300 m south of Piazza del Campo there’s a place where you can meet peacocks and donkeys and enjoy a nice pic-nic? It’s the Orto De’ Pecci, a truly unique place, run by a non-profit organization: among animal pens, picnic areas and a peculiar medieval garden, it is the ideal place for families with children and for anyone who wants to spend a few hours in absolute tranquility in a green valley in the center of Siena.

A province in bloom

For those who want to discover the territory through villas and gardens, the province of Siena is full of interesting itineraries, starting with the very first suburbs. In fact, coming out of Porta San Marco, a forest road leads to the Castle of Belcaro, inside which is a tidy garden with square flower beds that appear to come straight out of a medieval depiction. You can book by appointment the Vico Bello Garden Tour, a walk in the lush Italian garden of Villa Volte of Vico Bello, with views on the city, just a short distance from the train station. Moving away from Siena, lovers of outdoor excursions can not miss the fertile garden of Villa Cetinale, near the forest of the Romitorio, and the peculiar beech forest of the Natural Reserve of Pietraporciana, situated where the Val di Chiana meets the Val d ‘Orcia. In Val d’Orcia, in San Quirico, you can finf the majestic Horti Leonini of the sixteenth century, full of oaks and rose gardens. In Siena parks and gardens are proudly displayed in and around the city, making a pleasant escape in green possible, both for those who are staying in the vicinity of the center and for those who decide to privilege nature, staying in a farmhouse.