Views from the Boboli Gardens

I had forgotten how huge the Boboli Gardens are.

It is easy to lose your bearings
among the dark cypress walks.

There are no intimate spaces
and no lush plantings;
it is a world of statuary and gravel paths,
opaque water and clipped hedges.

It is a garden to promenade in,
to be impressed by,
to be seen in.

When I visited as a child
I saw only the interior space:
the obelisk, fountains and grand staircases

but now I look outwards to the city,
to the Duomo and the Baptistery,
and beyond to the Apennine mountains
and I understand the bold design of the garden.

It is essential to continually challenge
your understanding of the world around you
and travel offers that opportunity.
There is no more appropriate place than Florence
to observe, to enquire, to explore
and to discover a sense of perspective.