First step: replacing and upgrading street furniture and floral installations in the streets of the Natural Shopping Centre. This will be followed by work in Piazza Gramsci. The “Fonte del Brandini” fountain will be restored to its original appearance.
An investment of over €200,000 for a significant improvement in the quality of urban decor in the city centre. This is the main objective of the “Esperidi” project, which will kick off this week with an initial phase involving the replacement and upgrading of street furniture and the redevelopment of shrubs and flowers in all the streets of the Natural Shopping Centre. This first intervention, which will be carried out quickly and in such a way as not to interfere with Christmas shopping, aims to enhance the aesthetic appeal of the historic centre through the redevelopment of street furniture, the enhancement of biodiversity and the creation of new spaces for social gathering.
New planters, floor pots and wall pots (over 110 containers) will therefore be installed, containing selected seasonal or permanent flowering plants and ornamental species, harmoniously integrated into the existing architectural and urban context. Particular attention will be paid to the colour choice of the plants: from purple (such as irises) to orange (ornamental citrus fruits), from yellow to salmon pink. The redevelopment of street furniture and greenery in the Natural Shopping Centre will affect Via Ferruccio, Via Bovio, Piazza Kennedy, Via Garibaldi, Corso Matteotti, Via della Costituente, Via Volontari del Sangue, Piazza Cavour and Via Testaferrata.
The “Esperidi” project also includes three other interventions, which are to be completed by the end of 2026.
Piazza Gramsci – Redevelopment of green areas by replacing or adding to the shrub species present in the central flowerbeds of the square, with an enhancement of the floral areas as well, in order to make it more aesthetically pleasing thanks to recurring blooms throughout the year. The selection of plants will create an environment that combines aesthetics and biodiversity. The central flowerbeds will have wild flowers, while the side flowerbeds will feature evergreen plants arranged in layers. Street furniture will also be implemented and improved.
Fonte del Brandini (Via Bovio) – Thanks to funding from the Tuscan Water Authority for the restoration of water and historic aqueducts, the existing structure (the “Vaso” built in 2007) will be removed by “cutting” it at the base and then relocated to another area of the village. In its place, a new “fountain” will be rebuilt with a hexagonal structure similar to the original one (design agreed in advance with the Superintendency) and connected to the aqueduct network so that it can be fully used by the community, as it was in the past.
Piazza del Popolo – The reorganisation of traffic flow with the ZTL (limited traffic zone) will be accompanied by bollards and the construction of new large planters on site, with a ‘stepped’ design to follow the slope of the square. New plants, both shrubs and flowers, will be added inside, in harmony with the façade of the Town Hall and the Church of San Lorenzo. One of the planters will also be equipped with a wooden bench (also stepped) in order to improve the usability of the square.
‘The idea behind this project,’ emphasises Mayor Francesca Giannì, “stems from the need to restore decorum and a good quality of life to our town centre, as well as to offer support to local businesses that have been most affected by urban and social decline. We have therefore decided to allocate the share of the costs that will arise from the redevelopment plan for the former Shelbox to strengthening the town centre, in order to prevent depopulation and commercial desertification. We are doing this by cementing our bond with Florence on two levels: continuing the work of Castelfiorentino Casa di Artisti, through cultural and civic patronage, and with Esperidi, drawing on the concept of the urban garden, which you can see, for example, at Palazzo Medici Riccardi’.
