Kraft Hotel Florence · The Cascine Park
Florence biggest park
Description
The Kraft Hotel is at two steps from the river banks. Walk along the Arno
river to the West and you get to the bridge Ponte della Vittoria, at the
boundary of the park.
It will take you less than 10 minutes. In the park you can find many facilities,
such as:
swimming pool
sports grounds
hippodrome
horse riding areas
dancing 'Le Meccan', the trendiest place for Florence nightlife
a bar called 'L'Indiano' (The Indian, because it is near a monument to
an Indian who wanted his ashes to be dispersed there) stadium
bike rental 
Park's history
The first nucleus of the property was bought by Duke Alessandro around
1550, and was then expanded by Cosimo I d Medici.
'Cascine' means 'farms', and the name of today's park is due to the presence,
in the past, of cattle farms.
Later, under Pietro Leopoldo the gardeners' sheds and the Guards' House
were built there.
The area was opened to the public only on special occasions and on Ascension's
Day.
The only actual building was a 'hunting house', built by G. Manetti in
1786, where the family spent their hunting holidays.
In the 19th century, thanks to Duchess Elisa, the park was opened to the
public. Gates and accesses were widened and improved, and an avenue from
the park to the river was built. At the time it looked more like a woodland,
with some garden areas.
Over the years, many sport facilities and amenities have been built.
