The City of Santa Barbara just opened new pathways for visitors to explore the secrets of Franceschi Park, a spot on the Riviera known for its unbeatable views of the coastline.
On Tuesday, Monique O’Conner, open space planner for the Parks & Recreation Department, walked the Independent through the 17-acre property, where crews have created more than 1,500 feet of new trails to connect lesser-known parts of the park with the existing trail system.
One new trail begins near the bathrooms on the west side of the parking lot. It leads to a giant sandstone bust of the park’s namesake: famed Italian botanist Dr. Francesco Franceschi, who established a nursery and an experimental botanic garden on the property in the early 1900s…