Treesitting is an initiative born four years ago in the Tuscan capital, and allows people to send their Christmas trees to a park to continue growing and be reused next December.
On January 16, Florentines can take their tree to San Donato, where an expert will evaluate whether the tree can be preserved for a year or is destined to become compost.
If eligible, trees are sent to the Poggio Valicaia Park, set in the hills southwest of Florence.
Once an extensive, privately-owned farm, the property was donated to the town of Scandicci in 1979 and was turned into a public park.
In 2003, with the installation of works by contemporary artists, it became an open-air museum.
The park’s management looks after the trees for the year, while the owners can visit and check in on a special app.
In four years, 618 trees have been delivered to the park and as many as 460 were returned and reused the following Christmas.
