Orto de’ Pecci

L’Orto (Kitchen Garden) de’ Pecci sits in the historic centre of Siena, a few hundred metres from  Piazza del Campo, a green corner of countryside in the city. It is a splendid place to spend an afternoon relaxing, but even the natives of Siena are often ignorant of its fascinating story: during the fourteenth century, those condemned to death crossed the garden on their way from Porta Giustizia (the Gate of Justice) to their executions. Later, the Orto de’ Pecci was part of the Ospedale Psichiatrico (Psychiatric Hospital), where the patients cultivated fruit and vegetables for the whole Hospital and cared for its farmyard animals.

Nowadays the garden is the perfect place for everyone: families with small children looking for green space, those who want to relax during their visit to the city and, of course, those who want to discover a unique place in which a historic mediaeval city garden has been reconstructed. The garden is one of a series of teaching farms in the Province of Siena. Children can learn about the country here, come into contact with animals and learn the difference between historic and modern cultivation methods, thanks to the mediaeval garden and the organic garden.