Dog Parks & Walks in Florence

Florence's largest public park, stretching 3.5 km along the north bank of the Arno, is the main destination for dog walking in the city. The Cascine has designated dog areas (aree cani), a jogging path, cycling lanes, and generous tree-shaded lawns. It is very much a local park — you will see Florentine families, cyclists, and dozens of dogs here on any morning. The Tuesday Mercato delle Cascine market along the park edge is a highlight.

The Boboli Garden behind Palazzo Pitti is one of Italy's greatest formal gardens. Dogs are NOT permitted inside the Boboli Garden itself (it is a ticketed museum site). However, the surrounding Oltrarno hillside streets and Piazzale Michelangelo nearby offer excellent alternative walks with panoramic views. The Costa San Giorgio road climbing from Oltrarno to Fort Belvedere is particularly scenic for dogs.

The hill town of Fiesole, 8 km northeast of Florence and reachable by bus, offers spectacular walking in the Tuscan hills with views back over Florence. The trails through the olive groves and cypress forests around Fiesole are excellent for dogs — largely off-leash on the dirt paths, with the town's main square and cafés welcoming dogs on their terraces. A half-day trip from Florence that feels entirely different from the city.

The iconic viewpoint above Florence, reached by a scenic climb through the Oltrarno's hillside streets, is fully accessible to dogs on-leash. The adjacent Giardino delle Rose (open seasonally, April–October) is also dog-friendly and offers another elevated garden walk with stunning Arno views. This is one of the great free walking experiences in Florence, and the sunset view from Piazzale Michelangelo is genuinely world-class.