Parco di Pinocchio e Giardino di Villa Garzoni
The other day my husband and I decided to go on a day trip to the little town of Collodi to visit the Parco Di Pinocchio and the neighboring gardens of Villa Garzoni. We were inspired to visit after reading about the area in a travel magazine.
Pinocchio
Although it was burning hot, I had fun visiting the locations since I had never been there and everything was new. I also learned that the real Pinocchio story is nothing like the Disney version I grew up with. In fact, it seems to be much darker and scarier…so I decided to buy the original book – Italian version – to sharpen my language skills and learn the truth! There’s something exciting about reading stories in their original language as well. Pinocchio Park was a bit disappointing as a whole because it is meant for little kids. My husband and I were the only people around without a kid! Oops…tourist literature failed to mention these details. Not to mention I felt it was a big rip off as activities within the park were at an additional cost to the entrance fee. Hmm…for the state of the park and attractions I wouldn’t say it was the best deal!
This is me strangling the snake!
The Garzoni gardens that also included the Collodi Butterfly House was much more worth the entrance fee. Wondrous gardens like you would imagine and it was pretty cool to see the butterflies up close and personal inside the house. We hiked up to the very top fountain of the garden as well, not realizing high noon probably wasn’t the best time with this brutal weather. Too bad there was no entry to the villa itself, only the garden.
Looking up the Garzoni garden...
Looking down after hiking to the very top!
Overall, it was still worth visiting one time. I decided to search for more treasures in Tuscany because I’m sure there are fabulous places to visit that might not be so openly advertised. I would love to visit places with history and culture that inspire me as well. I just wish the level of conservation and maintenance was higher in Italy! It’s so sad to see the beauty from the past just deteriorate…
Pretty things I saw...
Posted on August 27, 2009 at 7:19 pm | italy
One Response to “Parco di Pinocchio e Giardino di Villa Garzoni”
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Wow- I love all the pictures! Great pic of you with the snake