The park is up in the Missions Hills Ridge neighborhood and was named after Francesco Franceschi, an internationally respected horticulturist who introduced many plants to the area.
Along with the park, there is a road named after him. His dilapidated (and abandoned) mansion is still there as well...
The park itself was part of his property and was given to the city after his death in Libya in 1924 (back then, it was an Italian colony). He was drawn to the climate of Santa Barbara, which was much like his Italian homeland's Riviera.
I did not take any photos of his Craftsman style home, although we did see it. I've read that people do hang out there but personally, I would be afraid to, day or night.
The parking lot is pretty small and during the time of our visit, there were only two or three cars. We ventured out to check out the sights that late afternoon.
The views were pretty amazing but some of it was blocked by the trees, probably planted by Franceschi himself. For that reason, I wish I knew the names of some of the exotic trees and plants up here. It would have been nice to have a placard identifying them.
You can see the Wharf and the Harbor in the distance...
The following are views taken while going back down the hill:
This was a neat sight to see. The car in front of us stopped for a family of ducks crossing the street.
The man made sure they got across safely!
Nearing the bottom of the hill, we saw this...
Alright then!
Someone's video from 2012. The views aren't as clear but you can get a feel for how windy it was for this guy:
It was cool checking out the views up here. Best of all, FREE.
Reviews/blurbs:
EdHat.com (Sept. 2010)
AtlasObscura and info about Francesco Frenceschi from Pacific Horticulture
Franceschi Park
1510 Mission Ridge Rd.
Santa Barbara, CA 93103
"www.santabarbara.com/activities/parks/franceschi" + reviews from tripadvisor, foursquare and that four lettered site
After this, back to the hotel to relax and have the dinner we picked up at the SBPM...
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