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| I T | Map L'Orto de'Pecci |
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L’Orto de’Pecci is in the former psychiatric hospital area in Siena and is a green oasis just underneath Piazza del Campo, with a fabulous view of the Torre del Mangia. A dirt path crosses the garden where a co-operative society has maintained it as it always was. To reach this cooperative garden, walk to Piazza del Mercato, then take the stairs leading down to the field of green below. Take the small street which bears to the right of Via Del Sole. A short walk down this road and past the gate, is pleasant and filled with the aroma of lavendar, rosemary and plants of the Tuscan countryside. The view of the Torre del Mangia and of Piazza del Mercato is fabulous from this peaceful spot. |
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Palazzo Pubblico and Torre del Mangia, view from Orto de'Pecci
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Different sectors of activity are currently open and these comprise gardening, separate and outsize waste collection, security and caretaking of monumental complexes and tourist areas, secretarial activities and cleaning of public environments, as well as the care and management of the park of L’Orto de’ Pecci which comprises a restaurant and bar. Moreover, since 2001La Propostahas been certified with the AIAB mark for organic farming in the cultivation and production of vegetables. |
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| History | The valley of Porta Giustizia, under Piazza del Mercato, is one of the best preserved green areas inside the old Walls of Siena. It has always been an ideal territory tor cultivation: it is watery and plan, beyond the uphill road called Via di Porta Giustizia. The name of the area, "Orto de' Pecci", refers to this function ('orto' means garden) and to the name of the family (the 'Pecci') which had owned the land tor a long time in the past. The story of the valley is antique and complex, though it has been mostly forgotten. In the Middle Ages there was a village called Borgo di S. Maria, which had been built at the beginning of the fourteenth-century for new immigrants who wanted to become citizens of Siena. The vilIage was abandoned and taken apart during the fourteenth-century Black Death. Since then, that small part of the southern territory of Siena has always been used for cultivation, even after it had became part of the Psychiatric Hospital. Since 1983, the social cooperative La Proposta has been running the valley of Porta Giustizia, implementing gardening, agriculture and tourist facilities. La Proposta aims to promote the reconstruction of damaged identities. It is qualified as a biological farm and obtained the ethics certification SA 8000. Inside the valley of Porta Giustizia it is possible to visit the 'medieval garden': a composite area where visitors can walk around biological fields and see vegetables used before the introduction of potato, tomato and corn. Uncommon herbs used for dyes in textiles; antique aromatic and officinal herbs. Visitors can also walk through the green valley and see the old Walls and the ruins of the antique Porta Giustizia, or watch the falconers' shows. It is also a way to look at Siena and at the Torre del Mangia from a different and unique point of view. The Orto de’ Pecci is run by a community that helps people with psychological difficulties, former drug addicts and prisoners. Besides what is materially produced, tending a collective vegetable garden offers a concrete opportunity to work in a community, encouraging responsibility and demanding attention and respect for the rhythms of nature. La Proposta runs a restaurant which employs recovering drug addicts, ex-convicts, and individuals with special needs. Students are able to assist in cooking food for restaurant employees, preparing the dining area for customers, and cleaning the kitchen. Students also have the opportunity to work in the gardens, both in restoration and in the cultivation of vegetables. |
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All'Orto de' Pecci, terrace
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L’Orto de’ Pecci comprises an exellent restaurant and bar, All'Orto de'Pecci. All'Orto de'Pecci
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Cildo Meireles’ large-scale installation in the vegetable gardens of the Orto de’ Pecci in 2012 in Siena constituted a new sign on the skyline of such a well-known city. A 30-metre-high ladder extended upwards, a connecting element between the inner suburbs and the historic city centre. In relation to the characteristics of the site, the presence of the ladder impinged on the usual routes taken by visitors coming to Siena to see the historic monuments and who rarely enter into contact with any areas of the daily life of its inhabitants beyond those relating to tourism and consumption.
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Palazzo Pubblico and Porta Giustizia, view from Orto de'Pecci
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Other parks and gardens in Siena include the Orto Botanico, a minor tourist attraction in Siena, cascading peacefully down a hill, and La Lizza, a public garden built on the old city wall in n front of the Forte di Santa Barbara, a fortress built by Cosimo .
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Urban Trekking | Porta Romana - Piazza del Campo circular walk
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Urban trekking in Siena | Porta Romana - Piazza del Campo circular walk
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From Podere Santa Pia, you can enjoy a spectacular view over the plains of the Maremma |
