Must haves:

Parco Sempione

This beautiful park  was created in 1888 as a response to pressure from the public – locals were opposed to the fast urbanization of the city and wanted the area to remain primarily for recreational purposes. The park runs from the Castello Sforzesco to the Arco della Pace, two of the main landmarks of Milan. Today the park, built in English style, offers jogging tracks, expansive green laws and coffee stands, making it a perfect spot to relax and soak up the sun.

Guastalla Gardens

Often overlooked, the Giardini della Guastalla is a hidden gem of Milan. Decorated with countless statues and sculptures, they are one of the oldest public gardens in Milan, dating all the way back to the 16th century.  In addition to the Baroque fountain, the gardens offer a variety of plants. The most interesting of those being a cigar tree, black walnut and a row of ancient beeches.

Bosco Verticale

Bosco Verticale or Vertical Forest is a pair of residential towers in the Porta Nuova district,  with amazing green facades populated with gardens and luscious greenery. The towers are home to more than 900 trees and were designed as a first part of a larger renovation project, the goal of which is to repopulate Milan’s flora and fauna and to control and reduce urban expansion. 

Brera Botanical Garden

Located in the trendy district of Brera,  within the Palazzo di Brera, the botanical garden is a hidden oasis amongst the chaos of central Milan. Although small in size, spanning only over 5000 square metres, it hosts over 300 species of plants, including two of the oldest maidenhair trees in Europe. In 2005 the botanical garden and the adjacent observatory became a museum complex managed by the University of Milan.

Brughiera Briantea Park

Located about an hour’s drive from central Milan, Brughiera Park is one of the largest wooden areas in Lombardy and the first one you encounter on the ride towards the north. What makes it special is that it’s located between extremely urbanised areas, making it the only remaining refuge for plant and animal life tied to forest environments. The forests, grassland areas and wetlands make it a very biodiverse and are home to a variety of species. 

MILAN GREEN FACTS:

• Milan is the first major city to enforce a city-wide food waste policy encompassing public agencies, food banks, charities, NGOs, universities and private businesses. The city has three Food Waste Hubs, each recovering about 130 tonnes of food per year or 350 kg per day, an estimated 260,000 meals equivalent.
• For its  sustainability and conservation efforts  Milan was among the first to be awarded one million pounds as a part of a newly established environmental prize presided over by Prince William and Kate Middleton. 
• There are plans to plant 3 million trees in Milan by 2030. Such an increase in the trees’ presence over the city’s soil, about a 30% expansion, could absorb 5 million tons of carbon dioxide every year while reducing PM10 small particles by 3,000 tons in the next ten years.
• According to Italian media, the city’s authorities are planning to create 20 new urban parks, to extend the already existing ones and to make the most out of discarded areas like an abandoned freight railway network which will be turned into seven parks. 

The post Milan City Guide first appeared on Floios Jewelry.

Must haves:

• metro ticket
• water bottle
• comfy shoes

Yeouido Hangang Park 

The Seoul designs for my City bracelet collection were picked in Yeouido Park. Yeouido is one of the favourite urban parks among local citizens and businessmen. Nestled next to the Han river,  this park is easily accessible both by metro and bus. You can enjoy a picnic with a view of the Seoul skyline or rent a bike and follow the green paths by the Han river.

Seoul Botanic Park

This botanic park is the size of 70 soccer fields, spanning over 504.000 square meter area. It combines par facilities that offer the space for relaxation and a botanical garden that serves as a space for education and research of plant preservation. It consists of four areas – Open Forest, Themed Garden, Wetland and Lake Garden. The Themed Garden is the one that takes the traditional role of a botanical garden, while the other areas are designed as a park and open to the public 24/7. In the Themed Garden you will find the largest greenhouse in South Korea, it’s as high as an 8-storey apartment building and it hosts plants from 12 cities.

Gardener’s Wife flower shop

Owned by a plant loving couple, a gardener husband and a florist wife, this shop offers more than just a relaxed atmosphere and abundance of greenery. They offer gardening classes and are famous for producing their own specially designed plant pots. 

Sikmulgwan Seoul 

Sikmulgwan is both a gallery and a cafe and is one of the most modern greenhouses in Seoul. It has a spacious interior filled with plants, bookshelves, glass adorned walls and modern furniture. The first two floors are reserved for sitting and the third one hosts a small and quiet gallery.

SEOUL GREEN FACTS:

• The Greenbelt: to reduce the urban sprawl that was  almost out of control in the last few decades of the 20th century, they surrounded the city with a “Greenbelt”. By placing a large area of greenery around the city, development can be halted and city planners have to look up for solutions to the growing population. The greenbelt currently covers 13.3% of the Seoul metropolitan area and comes with a lot of environmental and health positives.
• Amid the growing concerns about climate change and global warming, Seoul has introduced a green initiative called Seoul Bike “Ddareungi,” a bicycle-sharing system. Cycling is becoming very popular in Seoul, and its bicycle-sharing system is paving a way to lesser carbon emission.
• Songdo is a brand new city that Seoul is building near Seoul airport. It is designed to be a ‘smart city’ that will use technology to become sustainable that includes a state-of-the-art waste management system and green buildings. 40% of the area of Songdo has been designated as green public space with much of the Songdo lifestyle built around its park space.

The post Seoul City Guide first appeared on Floios Jewelry.

I visited Rome as a part of my design foraging mission to find plants to represent different cities for my new City bracelet collection. Rome in the summer is vibrant, scorching hot, wonderfully messy and noisy, a city overflowing with rich history, ancient trees and plastic flowers.

Must haves:

• good, comfy shoes, you will be walking (a lot)
• water bottle
• a hat
• lots and lots of ice cream

Via Giulia the green street

This street is one of the greenest and prettiest I’ve ever encountered. Here, you can see Michelangelo’s impressive unfinished viaduct, now covered in luscious ivy. Head down this street to enjoy its greenery and lovely artisan shops. 

Hosteria del mercato 

Nothing is better than enjoying your lunch among the luscious greenery and this lovely restaurant offers just that, plus they have a great selection of organic and vegan food options. 

Villa Borghese Gardens

I picked one of my designs for my Rome city bracelet from Borghese Gardens, a small acorn from a beautiful holly oak tree. These gardens aren’t just a park, they’re an experience. Within the gardens you’ll find several museums, beautiful buildings, impressive fountains, a lake and an overall amazing green space filled with mediterranean plants. Built by an architect Flaminio Ponzio, who went off of sketches created by Scipione Borghese, the gardens today remain as they were when they were remade in the late 18th century.

Today the Borghese Gallery is located in the Villa Borghese itself and it houses an impressive collection of art, including pieces from world-famous artists such as Carvaggio and Raphael. I recommend you to visit them in the early morning hours. On my way from Borghese gardens to the Spanish Steps I also foraged capers from a small wall fountain on the Viale della Trinità dei Monti street. 

Villa Medici

One of the many villa’s you will find in the Borghese Gardens is Villa Medici. It houses the French Academy in Rome and a beautifully kept garden in which they host art exhibitions year round.

Trevi Fountain

Fontana di trevi is the largest Baroque fountain in Rome and one of the most famous fountains in the world. Apart from it being beautifully crafted and absolutely majestic, what really drew me in were the delicate floral and plant details. Almost overshadowed by its more imposing sculptures, the floral motifs can be found everywhere around the fountain.

THE PATH TO A GREENER ROME

The mayor of Rome unveiled a master plan to turn the Eternal City into a green, low-carbon, post-petroleum capital. The plan, one of the most ambitious ever for the city, calls for Rome to invest more than $615 million (U.S.) over the next 2 decades in new business and clean industries. This move, when carried out, will result in thousands of new jobs and also make the capital more independent of fossil fuels.

Plans call for three main areas of development:

• Turning the congested historic core of Rome into a greener, pedestrian-friendly space;
• Developing the commercial and industrial “ring” around Rome; and
• Improving the agriculture districts outside Rome to reduce carbon imprint

The post Rome City Guide first appeared on Floios Jewelry.

Stockholm was another city I visited as a part of my design foraging mission to find plants to represent different cities for my new City bracelet collection. To me, Stockholm is the city of dirty windows and relaxed nature, let it grow style gardens and secret spots among the trees. To me, Stockholm feels like home. 

Must haves: 

• electrical scooter or a pair of comfy shoes 
• a backpack 
• a water bottle 

Djurgården park

Djurgården is a green island, located close to the city center and it’s the home of one of the most wonderful wild parks I’ve ever visited. Here I foraged leaves of Woolly Burdock, for one of my City bracelets designs. Djurgården is so big you can get lost in it and that makes it a perfect spot for strolling under the cover of the trees and enjoying nature. If visiting during summer months, you can jump into the Djurgårdsbrunn canal  at one of the wild swimming spots –  it’s a bit filthy but also unforgettable. However, if you’re not much of a swimmer, there’s plenty of attractions, restaurants and cafes located in the area. 

Modern gallery 

Grab a drink at the Modern gallery café and enjoy the Picasso art installation placed in its ‘’let it grow’’ style garden. 

Humlegården

Humlegården, originally a royal garden, was opened to the public in 1869 and today it’s one of Stockholm’s greenest spots. In the middle of the park, in the shade of the trees stands a statue of a botanist Carl Linnaeus, also known as the Flower King. 

Stockholm from the water

Jump onto the ferry and explore the archipelago, water view of Stockholm is absolutely stunning.  

STOCKHOLM GREEN FACTS:

• According to data published by TravelBird, the overall green space per person in Stockholm was of 70.06 square meters, among which the majority consisted of forest and woodland (46.97 square meters per person), followed by nature reserve (16.72 square meters per person).
• 100% of the energy used by the City of Stockholm´s own operations comes from renewable sources.
• 99% of Stockholm´s solid waste is recycled.
• Almost 80% of all hotels in Stockholm are sustainability accredited by third-party certifying bodies.
• Stockholm has one of the cleanest (and tastiest) tap waters in the world. No need to buy bottled water.
• Stockholm has 1/3 green area, 1/3 water, 1/3 built area.
• Stockholm Arlanda Airport has a ISO14001 certification.
• Stockholm has a goal to be a fossil-fuel free city by 2040.

The post Stockholm City Guide first appeared on Floios Jewelry.

I visited Copenhagen as a part of my design foraging mission to find plants to represent different cities for my new City bracelet collection. I was focused on collecting designs from wild, self-planted plants on busy city streets. Overall, Copenhagen won me over with its green roofs, use of bicycles as a main way of transportation, promise of a greener future and an overall  respect for nature. 

These are some of the places I enjoyed most while visiting, and if you ever find yourself in this beautiful green city, give them a go, I’m sure you’ll love them too. 

 Must haves: 

• a raincoat (to keep yourself dry)
• waterproof backpack (to keep your things dry)
• a bicycle (to visit them all)

Bane Gaarden

Stop by for a lunch, listen to a concert on a Friday night, visit a fermentation workshop, browse a farmers market full of fresh produce or just stop by to feel like you’ve stepped out of the busy city into an oasis of sustainability and relax for a while. BaneGaarden is set in nine old wooden barns that are being brought back to life through ongoing restoration, made possible by four green entrepreneurs whose mission is to make a change through sharing the knowledge of a sustainable lifestyle. 

Glyptoteket

If you love green spaces you have to stop by Glyptoteket art museum. Founded by the brewer Carl Jacobsen in 1888, the museum is separated into two departments and it combines antiquity and modernity, nature and culture. Possibly the most stunning part of it is the greenhouse garden, where you can  stop by Café Picnic and enjoy your coffee surrounded by luscious greenery. 

Botanical Garden

Particularly known for its historical glasshouses dating from 1874, this botanical garden contains more than 13,000 species, including 600 native Danish plants. If you’re visiting during summer months, you have to stop by The Butterfly House and experience the life of butterflies in this almost fairytale-like setting. 

Copenhot

Do you want to experience spa like never before? In Copenhot, set in Copenhagen’s harbor you can relax in hot tubes under the open sky, cruise the canals in a spa boat or relax in a sauna with a view. There’s no need to worry about the weather too, the sea water filled tubs are guaranteed to warm you up and the view of harbor skyline is beautiful no matter what.

COPENHAGEN GREEN FACTS:

• 36% of commuters and 55% of Copenhageners cycle to work or school/college
• 90% of building waste is reused
• 96% of residents live within 15 minutes’ walk of a recreational area
• Copenhagen intends to be carbon-neutral by 2025. In terms of Energy Performance, an estimated 75% of the CO2 reductions will come from initiatives in relation to the city’s energy system mainly involving an increase in the share of renewable energy in the City’s district heating.
• Copenhagen’s harbor is clean enough for swimming. Copenhagen’s harbor has been thoroughly cleaned and the inner harbor is clean enough for people to swim.
• Since 2010, the guidelines for green roofs prescribe, that new buildings with flat roofs (less than 30-degree slope) must have green roofs.

The post Copenhagen City Guide first appeared on Floios Jewelry.