There aren’t many green areas in Florence unfortunately and choosing a place where you can lay down and maybe sunbathe or simply enjoy a good day in Spring or summer is a rarity. You can opt for the Parco delle Cascine but is a bit further out if you are staying in the Piazza San Marco area.
You are not lost though! The Fortezza da basso can be a great place for your relaxing, day off from heavy museum visiting. The Fortezza da Basso, whose official name is the Fortress of St. John the Baptist, is the major work of modern fortification in the fourteenth century of Florence today is home to numerous conferences, concerts and national and international initiatives.
The giant fortress, pentagonal in shape, was built with speed and magnitude of means to ensure control of the city to the Medici, just after the Siege of Florence, to provide accommodation to a strong contingent of troops, as well as refuge to the rulers in the event revolt, but also to impress and intimidate with its mass. Afterward the Fortress, which like many other similar structures was no longer used, was entrusted to the military property until 1967.
Its now the primary exposition and exhibits place in Florence with many events occurring every month or so, around the Fortress at the Giardini della Fortezza there is a large green area with a nice fountain where you can walk about and relax.
Moreover every third weekend of the month the Garden offer an antique fair where you can go shopping for old lamps, furniture and more, sellers come from all over tuscany, it’s pretty big!