'Livio Lensi' Garden of Meditation

Un giardino per ricordare la strage di Fucecchio

Dedicated to Livio Lensi, former mayor of Cerreto Guidi (Florence) from 1980 to 1990, the 'Garden of Meditation', in the hamlet of Stabbia, is a place dedicated to the memory of the more than 170 victims of the Nazi massacre in the Padule di Fucecchio which took place on 23 August 1944. 'Memory is important, but it is only with meditation that concrete results are achieved'.

'Twenty years after his death, the memory of him is always very vivid for the quality of the person and for his work as mayor: he was an example for everyone'. This is how the mayor Simona Rossetti remembers Livio Lensi who died on 6 October 2000. Born in 1921, he lived in the hamlet of Lazzeretto; he was a partisan and fought in the War of Liberation. After that, he dedicated himself his life to the town, founding the Calzaturieri cooperative, the first real Lazzeretto industry after the war, of which he was president. He always worked in the footwear sector, but without neglecting his social and political commitment. In fact, in 1980, after an experience as a councilor in the council of Nada Parri, he became, elected on the PCI list, mayor, a position held for two terms, until 1990. In that period, he was really involved in the realization of public works, such as first schools and the sports field.

Lensi dedicated himself with passion to the creation of the Garden of Meditation in Stabbia, a garden that recalled the Massacre of the Padule. After his death, the Garden was named after him in 2015 on the recommendation of the municipal administration led by Simona Rossetti.