Boboli Gardens – Florence, Italy

If you find yourself in Florence looking for a place to practice you may be stumped, as I was! There’s not a large amount of grass or open space to stumble upon in this city; I walked a very far distance to Cascine Park to find some grass to run my bare feet through but found mostly soccer games and loud teenagers! There were open spaces under the trees but we had already walked about an hour into the park and although it was wonderful to be in the sun under some wide leaves, something was missing.

I continued my search as I walked through Boboli Gardens, finding the most amazing views from the top of the hill overlooking fountains and sculptures. Something there was reminiscent of Gardens of Versailles,  only modest. Dusty, dirt paths led me to small walkways through tiny forests, and luckily the heat was overwhelming so I had to keep stopping to sit and stare out at Firenze. I found lawns, mostly filled with people, and while that would have done just fine I didn’t want to settle, I kept looking.

I aimlessly walked through the maze of random paths before coming to a string of smaller, fenced in patches of grass and trees.

I found my home under an overwhelmingly beautiful tree that seemed to wrap its branches around me in every direction.

I laid on my mat for quite a while before practicing, just staring up at this strong mama who was giving me shade and oxygen. There was such a sense of relief in finding her, finding that sanctuary in a city that I can truly give no other critiques to.