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1563, Duke Alessandro de' Medici purchased the land of the Cascine
to use it as a farm and hunting estate conveniently located near
his Florence residences.
The property ran alongside the River Arno and in order to protect
it from the frequent flooding, a number of river embankments were
constructed by Buontalenti.
In 1776, the Lorraine Grand Duke Pietro Leopoldo decided to transform
the estate into a public park, and entrusted the project to Giuseppe
Manetti. The work was completed at the end of the 1700s, with the
addition of the peacock house, the central avenue and the pyramid-shaped
ice-house, the fountain of Narcissus, and the small shooting lodge.
This park has always been used a great deal by the Florentines,
for everything from Sunday afternoon walks to open-air theatre,
concerts, and political party festive occasions.
Unfortunately, it is also a night-time venue for prostitutes and
transvestites.
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