Dear Mayor Renzi,
I am a Florentine and a mother here in Florence. I am happy to raise my son here. I was a little shocked to read your post in TF 181 about your program regarding city greenery and parks.
It makes me a little sad that only the touristy parks are getting the attention of the City.
I think you will agree that the parks above piazzale Michelangelo are not easily accessible to most citizens of Florence, and now there is even a rumor that parking will no longer be free in the piazzale. Is that true?
I, personally, would like to know more about the other parks, and particularly the Area Pettini in the Cure district. This park is a lifesaver for most of us who live without gardens. Its location, beauty, and nice park managers have made it quite special for us.
However, recently most of the play equipment, which I am sure was unsafe, was removed. Now, in large parts of the park instead of play equipment there are large mud holes, one of which my young son fell into recently.
When several of us moms inquired about the park, we were told that the city has no money. We tried with a petition and even tried to call various members of the green offices in Florence. We even offered to throw a fund-raiser to collect the money ourselves for the park. No one returned our calls.
We are now told that we most likely will not see any progress in the park for years! I know tourism brings a lot of money to Florence, but there are many of us Florentines that need help, too! Can you please help us out with Area Pettini?
Sincerely, Jill Romanelli
Born in the USA, in Florence since 2004
Dear Jill,
There are 376 gardens and 25 parks in Florence, totalling more than 3.5 million square meters of public green space. We are constantly making these areas more attractive and functional, and have so far improved the green areas of Lungarno Santa Rosa, Pellegrino all’Orticultura, Canova, Campo di Marte, Allori, San Gaggio, Bobolino and San Donato, and have re-opened the Rose and Japanese gardens.
We have also approved a ‘zero volume’ structural plan, which means putting a stop to land consumption, and ensuring that there is a park or garden no more than 10 minutes away from the house of every Florentine.
As for the Area Pettini, we are working on finding the best solution to improve it. The city councillor for the environment will shortly be meeting with citizens to discuss this very topic.
Best, Matteo
Those interested in writing the mayor can send messages and comments via email to redazione@theflorentine.net, stating ‘Write the Mayor’ in the subject line of the email. Emails must clearly state the author’s first name, surname, city and country of birth, and the city and country of residence.
