Appeared more than 70 million years ago, the approximately 2,800 species of palms that make up the Arecaceae family are widespread in all continents. They prefer tropical and subtropical environments but are also adapted to more temperate climates. PALM TREES IN LIGURIA The approximately 2,800 varieties of palm trees that make up the family of the Arecaceae first appeared over 70 million years ago and rapidly spread across all continents. Their preferred habitats are the tropical or subtropical environments, but easily adapt to cooler climates. In Italy the Chamaerops humilis , or dwarf palm, and the rustic Phoenix dactylifera are considered endemic species, spreading rapidly across the Italian seaside towns such as Bordighera, thanks to their innate ability to contrast strong winds and withstand salt and sand. According to legend, Ampelio, the patron saint of Bordighera, was the first to import these precious dates. The craft of weaving palm leaves for religious festivals, along with rituals of fertility and rebirth, links the vast symbolism associated with palm trees and is no stranger to ancestral practices for their domestication aimed at ensuring the bearing of fruits. According to some philologists, the word palm derives from “Pan”. In Sanskrit, it means hand and can also be identified by the typical shape of its leaves. In Latin it became “Palm”, used for both the flat of the hand, and as a unit of measurement. Hence the expressions "palm of victory" or "in the palm of your hand", to indicate the honour paid to the victorious. For others, it originates from the Semitic root “Pal”, thus the toponym Palmyra, the legendary Syrian city and stopping place for caravan trade routes. Likewise it can be an echo of the Phoenician term used by the Ancient Greeks to refer to both the tree and the colour purple, but also to the phoenix bird, rising from its ashes. Lastly, it is associated to the Phoenicians, the people whom the Ancient Egyptians placed along the shores of the Persian Gulf. It is here that we find the oases where the palm trees and dates originated. Palm leaves welcomed the triumphal entrance of Jesus in Jerusalem, symbolizing triumph, justice and peace. In liturgical ceremonies, the palm leaves blend and are replace by olive branches, in a way similar to the customs and traditions of peasant farmers on opposite shores of the Mediterranean Sea, which also merged and hybridized. Alessandra Valentinelli Palm trees in Liguria Photo ©CRISTINA ARCHINTO MORE ENVIRONMENT AND BOTANY Vie cave opuntia fiorita Opuntia Alberi Caño Cristales Palmeti Palmeti Caldara di Manziana Terra scoscesa Tevere

The Magic Flute Park in Santa Margherita Ligure is a playground for children inside Villa Carmagnola. It was conceived and realized in 1998 from the imagination of Emanuele Luzzati, in collaboration with the students of the scenography workshop of the Teatro della Tosse, on the notes of The Magic Flute, the last theatrical composition by Mozart. LIGURIA The Magic Flute Park in Santa Margherita Ligure by Carla De Agostini The Magic Flute Park in Santa Margherita Ligure is a playground for children inside Villa Carmagnola. It was conceived and realized in 1998 from the imagination of Emanuele Luzzati, in collaboration with the students of the scenography workshop of the Teatro Della Tosse, on the notes of The Magic Flute, the last theatrical composition by Mozart. The paths, the equipment and the objects allow the children to become part of the adventures of Tamino, the brave and somewhat "harlequin-like" prince, the protagonist of the opera who, helped by the faithful Papageno, fights the forces of evil to free the beloved princess Pamina, daughter of the Queen of the Night in ancient Egypt. On the one hand, the work of the Magic Flute can be retraced on the 23-meter-long surrounding wall, which, with paintings on ceramic tiles, tells the story to everyone. On the other amazing silhouettes and sculptures of the characters, now restored, help the children's creativity to invent their own adventures, jumping from one side to the other, immersed in the green and in their own dreams. Closed for a long time, the Park has reopened in 2021, to the happiness of young and old, thanks to the valuable teamwork between different realities, from the municipal administration to the various local cultural associations and not for years recognize the historical, public and social value. Emanuele Luzzati was born in Genoa in 1921 and died there in 2007. Capable of an essential and never predictable style, Luzzati will speak of himself as a capable craftsman, fascinated by all applied arts that comes to their realization in an eclectic and often self-taught way. In the interviews he will tell with simplicity that his way of understanding the work is a work under the sign of a lightness free from aesthetic codes. She spent her childhood in Genoa, but with the racial laws of 1938 she fled to Switzerland, where she came into contact with a reality that she would define as "truer", that of the Jewish world of Eastern Europe of which she would often remember the fruitful cultural exchange between people of very different origins, and in Lausanne he graduated from the Ecole des Beaux Arts. In his career he has created more than four hundred sets for prose, opera and dance in major Italian and foreign theaters, and has been defined as a painter, decorator, illustrator, set designer, ceramist, costume designer, film director and designer. In 1963 for The Magic Flute Luzzati will have a flash of genius that will revolutionize the concept of set design for opera and will consecrate him to the international world: the periatti, large rotating prisms consisting of painted panels with inside a person who moves them in time to the music, which create a fairy-tale atmosphere with dynamic background. In 1966 with the director Giancarlo Giannini receive the first Oscar nomination for the category of animated short film La Gazza ladra (1964), a second nomination will come with Pulcinella. The municipality of Genoa, with the Accademia Artigiana della Fantasia, celebrates him by opening at Palazzo Ducale Casa Luzzati, a place of exhibitions entirely dedicated to his figure, opening in March 2022 with "Luzzati. Posters and Editorial Graphics 1947 - 2007". In addition, the Lele Luzzati Foundation is born, welcoming the donation of works by the Luzzati Family of Israel. GALLERY Photo ©CRISTINA ARCHINTO LINK S TREE WATCHING Web more gardens and parks Giardino di Valeria Villa Ortensia Etna Botanic garden Parco del Paterno del Toscano Labirinto della Masone Villa d'Este Giardino di Kenroku-en Giardino dell'impossibile

Thanks to Gelasio Caetani’s foresight, today we can enjoy the beauty of an English garden amongst the nicest of Europe, which was nominated in the year 2000 as one of “Italy’s Natural Monuments”. In 1921, the Caetani family restored a number of ruins in the ancient medieval city of Ninfa, a few kilo LAZIO NINFA A MARVELOUS GARDEN Thanks to Gelasio Caetani’s foresight, today we can enjoy the beauty of an English garden amongst the nicest of Europe, which was nominated in the year 2000 as one of “Italy’s Natural Monuments”. In 1921, the Caetani family restored a number of ruins in the ancient medieval city of Ninfa, a few kilometres away from Cisterna di Latina. Among these renovations was a baronial palace which was transformed into the family’s summer estate, as well as a garden at the foot of Mount Lepini. At the same time, Ada Wilbraham, Gelasio Caetani’s mother, who was an expert botanist, planted the first cypresses, holm oaks, beech trees and rosettes, which she had collected throughout the course of her vast international travels. The most credit must be given to Marguerite Chapin, Roffredo Caetani’s wife, and to her daughter, Leila. Starting in the early thirties the two ladies transformed Ninfa into a beautiful English garden, and chose to emphasize its natural beauty. The only exception were areas in which flower beds were planted, the land they grew on was left, to some extend to itself, consenting to the natural growth and cycle of plants. The blessed southern exposure, south of Ninfa, which is protected from the winds by the Lepini Mountains, is ornate with numerous karst springs and crossed by the River Ninfa, which have allowed the growth of tropical plants such as the banana, the avocado and the manned gunner from South America. As one strolls through the medieval ruins, he or she may encounter thousands of diverse and rare species worthy of note, such as poplars, birches, pines, cypresses, cherry trees, Japanese maples, hornets, acanthuses, ornamental apple trees, roaring rose bushes, magnolias, irises, bamboo shoots, camellias and honeysuckles. The particular plant choice is purposeful in the sense that it allows for a year round flowering, and allows for a self-serving caring process. Macerated nettle, lime, propolis and a variety of insectivorous birds make the garden of Ninfa a small heaven on earth. One must visit it at least once in his or her lifetime. GALLERY Info: www.fondazionecaetani.org Photo ©CRISTINA ARCHINTO MORE GARDENS AND PARKS Parco del Paterno del Toscano Villa Lante Labirinto della Masone Villa d'Este Giardino di Kenroku-en Giardino dell'impossibile Villa Pizzo Castello di Masino

One of the most evocative places in Paris is definitely the Bercy Park, whose web of paths, rails and water reflections cannot fail to fascinate. With its 13.5 hectares, in the 12th arrondissement, Bercy amazes passers-by with clues that tell of a place of contrasts. PARIS Parc de Bercy By CARLA DE AGOSTINI One of the most evocative and unexpected places in Paris is undoubtedly Bercy Park, whose web of paths, rails and reflections of water cannot fail to fascinate. With its 13.5 hectares in the 12th arrondissement, Bercy amazes passers-by with clues that tell of a place of contrasts. Although it was created between 1993 and 1997, it still retains much of its past: the vineyard, the kerbs and the rails bear witness to the site's industrial past. The contemporary design by architects B. Huet, M. Ferrand, J. Feugas, B. Leroy, frames a 19th-century garden, designed by landscape architects I. Le Caisne and P. R. Leroy. Le Caisne and P. Raguin. The area on which the Park stands has undergone many transformations. It was occupied by coppice woods until the 13th century, and from the 17th century until the Revolution it became a holiday resort along the river. During the process of industrialisation of the city, the site became one of the most important wine warehouses in Paris: the cellier du monde - the world's wine cellar. Its strategic location allowed it to be unaffected by customs but still be strategically positioned thanks to its trade route via the Seine with Burgundy. The park alternates between ponds and architectural works, green and wooded areas. Three main areas are clearly recognisable. Les Parterres, in the centre, consists of a chessboard of nine themed gardens, in homage to biodiversity, where various ateliers host frequent events dedicated to botany, organised by citizens or professionals. La Grande Prairie, to the west, consists of grass carpets crossed by avenues and dotted with trees and gazebos, where groups of young people often enjoy the beauty of the place. And finally, the Jardin Romantique, to the east, where you can admire oaks, birches, cherry trees, shrubs of all kinds, and, above all, the water features of the pond bordered by reeds and water lilies where you can meet ducks and herons. This last part of the park is very rich and elaborate. The amphitheatre recalling the ancient village of Bercy, the Pavillon du Lac, right in the middle of the pond, is home to exhibitions and temporary displays, as well as the Agence Parisienne du Climat de Paris, in charge of the city's energy transition. The helicoidal ramp leading to the Bélvèdere is the highest observation point from which you can admire a splendid panorama and the Bibliothèque Nationale de France, otherwise accessible by the Simone de Beauvoir footbridge. With its 200 centenary trees, mostly plane trees, horse chestnuts and birches, the Jardin Romantique has a special bucolic charm, enriched by over 1,200 new species of shrubs and flowers. Among the willows and majestic oaks, it is a popular destination for Parisians who enjoy reading and going on interesting walks, immersed in a small natural paradise, protected from the hustle and bustle of greater Paris. Translation by Greta Arancia Sanna GALLERY Photo ©CRISTINA ARCHINTO Info: Official website Highlights Male fern - Dryopteris filix-mas Ferns are the oldest plants on our planet and are estimated to have been present for 350 million years. Its scientific name Dryopteris derives from drys oak and pteris fern, as it is very common in shady chestnut and oak forests. Ferns have always been used as dyes because of their tannin content, and were also used to make mattresses and pillows, and their good smell kept fleas away. Ferns are also the subject of many legends and myths throughout Europe, one of which tells us that on the night of 23-24 June, the feast of St John the Baptist, the fern produces a snow-white flower that has the power to make you invisible, like its seeds. Even Shakespeare was aware of this and quotes it in his Henry IV: 'We steal as if we were in an iron barrel, perfectly safe, we have the recipe for fern seeds, we walk invisible'. more gardens and parks Parco del Paterno del Toscano Villa Lante Labirinto della Masone Villa d'Este Giardino di Kenroku-en Giardino dell'impossibile Giardino di Ninfa Villa Pizzo

The Kenroku-en "Garden of Six Attributes" or "Garden of Six Sublimity" is an ancient private garden in the city of Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. It is considered one of the three most beautiful gardens in Japan. The large garden-park, located near the entrance to Kanazawa Castle, is famous f JAPAN KANAZAWA Kenroku-en Garden The Kenroku-en "Garden of Six Attributes" or "Garden of Six Sublimity" is an ancient private garden in the city of Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. It is considered one of the three most beautiful gardens in Japan. The large garden-park, located near the entrance to Kanazawa Castle, is famous for offering its visitors beautiful views in all seasons. Its construction can be traced back to the beginning of the 17th century by the Maeda clan, which ruled the Kaga fiefdom, but it is not easy to give an exact date of its origin. According to some, it can be made to coincide with the construction of the Tatsumi Canal in 1632 by Maeda Toshitsune, the third head of the Maeda clan from 1605 to 1639. The canal was later incorporated into the winding artificial garden river in 1822. According to others, the garden was created thanks to the fifth daimyo of Kaga, Maeda Tsunanori (r. 1645-1723). He had the building called Renchi-ochin ("lotus pond pavilion") built in 1676 on the slope in front of Kanazawa Castle, and a surrounding garden, initially called Renchi-ochin "lotus pond garden". Little is known about the structure and characteristics of the Renchi-tei, due to a fire that destroyed it almost entirely in 1759. According to documents dating back to previous years, the garden was often visited by the local nobility, who organized banquets there to contemplate the moon and autumn leaves, and to admire the horses. There is a legend linked to the sacred Fountain of Kenroku-en, according to some the oldest element of the garden remained until today: 1,200 years ago, a farmer named Tōgorō stopped at the Fountain to wash potatoes. Suddenly, fragments of gold began to rise to the surface of the water, which is why the city was called Kanazawa, "Golden Swamp. The water comes from the purification basin at the nearby Shinto shrine, and many people come to collect water for the tea ceremony at this fountain. The Shigure-tei, a tea house built in 1725 and miraculously survived the fire of 1759, seems to indicate not only the spread of this ritual in the period before the fire, but also the culture traditionally associated with it, which would have influenced the aesthetics of the garden. The Shigure-tei was also used after the fire and then completely restored during the Meiji period. Another element already present in the period before the fire of 1759 is the Kaiseki-tō pagoda, currently located on a small island in the central area of the Isago-ike pond. According to some sources it was erected by Maeda Toshitsune, third daimyo of Kaga, who lived between 1594 and 1658, and it is therefore possible that it predates the creation of the Renchi-tei garden. According to other sources, the pagoda was initially part of a 13-storey pagoda located in the Gyokusen-in garden of Kanazawa Castle, but a third source reports that it was brought from Korea by Katō Kiyomasa, returning from the military campaigns started at the behest of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, to whom it would be donated, who in turn would give it to Maeda Toshiie. If the theory is true, the pagoda arrived in the hands of the Maeda clan between 1592 and 1598, the years of Hideyoshi's attempts to conquer Korea and China. The above theories are not mutually exclusive, so it is possible that Maeda Toshiie received a 13-storey pagoda from Hideyoshi, placing it in the Gyokusen-in garden, and that subsequent daimyo would have moved to its current position, reducing the number of floors. In 1774, Maeda Harunaga, Kaga's eleventh daimyo, began restoration work on the garden, also building the Midori-taki ("Green Waterfall") and the Yūgao-tei, a tea house. Other improvements were made in 1822 when the twelfth daimyo Narinaga had the winding streams of the garden built with water from the Tatsumi canal. The thirteenth daimyo Nariyasu had more streams added and expanded Lake Kasumi, giving the garden its present shape. The garden was opened to the public on May 7, 1874. The name Kenroku-en was given to it by Matsudaira Sadanobu at Narinaga's request, and is a reference to the six attributes of the perfect landscape mentioned in the book Luòyáng míngyuán jì ("Chronicles of Famous Luoyang Gardens"), written by the Chinese poet Li Gefei. The six attributes are: spaciousness and intimacy, artifice and antiquity, waterways and landscapes. Info: www.pref.ishikawa.jp Photo © CRISTINA ARCHINTO

It was the year 1638 when the plague hit Amsterdam and medicinal plants represented the only known way to cure and prevent it. It was for this reason that in that same year was born the Hortus Medicus, a training place where doctors and pharmacists met to learn and share their botanical and medical knowledge, enriching the collection of medicinal plants. AMSTERDAM BOTANICAL GARDEN OF AMSTERDAM From Ortus Medicus to Ortus Botanicus Photos Cristina Archinto Text Carla DeAgostini I t was1638 when the plague hit Amsterdam and medicinal plants represented the only way to cure and prevent it. It was for this reason that in the same year was created the Hortus Medicus , a place where doctors and pharmacists met in order to learn and share their botanical and medical knowledge, always enriching the collection of medicinal plants. The first who catalogued the whole collection was, in 1646, the director of that year Snippendaal: it took him a whole year to count the 796 species of plants, and to write the catalog, but thanks to his hard work Carl Nilsson Linnaeus in 1753 succeeded in writing his fundamental work Species Plantarum . Meanwhile in 1682, thanks to the commercial contacts of the East India Company and to the help of collectors from the Netherlands, the Garden acquired many species, not only medicinal, but also greenhouse and ornamental, which transformed the old Hortus from Medicus to Botanicus, a new center of intense research and trade. Also in this period, the botanical illustrators Jan and Maria Moninckx were commissioned to document the new collection, and they created the Moninckx Atlas : not the usual herbarium with dried plants, but a catalog containing graphic reproductions of the most recent and exotic plants. The task, which ended in 1749, required the production of nine volumes, and involved other expert watercolorists Such as Johanna H. Herolt, daughter of Sibylla Merian, and Alida Withoos, daughter of Mathias Withoos, the painter of still life master of Gaspar Van Wittel. Even today the Moninckx Atlas is considered the main testimony of the extraordinary contribution of women to the birth of scientific drawing. Today, the Hortus Botanicus covers little more than one hectare but boasts an enormous variety of plant: there are about 4,000 species, including those grown outdoors and those housed in its seven greenhouses, just over 1% of the world's plant diversity and it is a place rich in history, where modern events of emancipation and cutting-edge studies are intertwined for their attention to both the past and the present. An example is the semi circular garden reorganized in Systemic Garden in 1863. The semicircle shape in fact represents the systematic classification of plants: species that are closely related are found growing near each other, while those that have little in common are grown far away. Currently, they are classified according to the Angiosperma Phylogeny Group (APG), among the most advanced technologies of "molecular systematics," based on similarities in genetic material. Here, if summer is a riot of blooms, winter lets the symmetrical lines of boxwood hedges emerge. A true masterpiece of modern architecture is the Three Climates Greenhouse, designed in 1993 by Zwarts & Jansma Architects, which brings together three different climatic environments: the subtropics, the desert and the tropics. A suspended walkway allows visitors to pass from one area to the another, each with its own temperature, humidity and air circulation. Walkers enjoy the view of the tangle of lianas and leaves, look closely at the tree canopy while catching a glimpse of the sky through the glass roof as they pass through dry scrub, jungle and desert. In the first one he comes across geraniums, agapanthus and gerberas, then reaches the humid subtropical climate where the protagonist is the abundance of water, and finally the desert section, where cacti and majestic succulents from faraway deserts stand out. Instead in the Palms Greenhouse you can admire, next to giant palms specimens, the famous 350-year-old Cyca Encephalartos altensteinii, purchased in 1850 by William III. The Hortus boasts the presence of 60 different species of cycads, protected and safeguarded also thanks to the collaboration with other gardens, through the exchange of pollen, seeds or young plants. Hundreds of tropical butterflies color the small Butterfly House, fluttering over an interesting collection of tropical plants linked to trade with the Americas, such as coffee, tea or chocolate. The Garden also specializes in South African, Australian and carnivorous plant families. The Hortus Botanicus of Amsterdam , with its history and collections, is now an internationally recognized historical, herbalist and scientific heritage, but it is also a pleasant stop to get lost in during a trip to the Dutch city par excellence GALLERY Info: Official website Photo ©CRISTINA ARCHINTO FEATURED Illustrations by Maria Moninckx and Maria Sibylla Merian FEMALE BOTANICAL ILLUSTRATIONS: THE MONINCKX ATLAS The Moninckx Atlas is a collection of botanical images, containing watercolor and gouache reproductions of 425 exotic plants from Asia, South Africa and South America, planted in the Botanical Garden of Amsterdam. This collection, divided into nine books, takes its name from the two artists who contributed the most to its creation: Jan and Maria Moninckx. Maria Moninckx was born in The Hague around 1673, and was the daughter of an important painter, Johannes Moninckx, and Ariaentje Pieters, also an artist. Renowned in the field as a floral painter, for the Atlas performs 101 illustrations. The side by side, in addition to Jan Moninckx, two other women Johanna Herolt-Graff, daughter of Maria Sibylla Merian whose books are still considered masterpieces of painting and precursors of modern entomology, and Alida Withoos. Both botanical illustrators of the time, they are part of a discipline underestimated in the artistic field but of extreme importance in the scientific world, as an aid to the classification and study of plant morphology, since unlike herbals it provides a representation of both the shape and the details of the various species. In this case, botanical illustrators study closely not only plants and flowers but the life of insects themselves, often achieving important, as well as ignored, scientific results. For example, Maria Sibylla Merian between 1679 and 1683 printed The marvelous metamorphosis of caterpillars and their singular feeding on flowers , a work where she illustrates more than 176 animal species, from silkworms to butterflies, in every stage of development with as many species of flowers and plants on which the animal feeds. In fact, every table shows data about the times of metamorphosis, nutrition and life cycle of each one. Precisely because of this precision Merian is today considered the first entomologist in the history of science, a recognition that will be given only in the twentieth century, after centuries in the shadows, renowned only in expert circles of the sector. These illustrations therefore represent not only an essential tool for study, but also an emancipation from the prejudice according to which science, and therefore botany, was, and often still is, a male prerogative only. more botanical gardens and nurseries Orto botanico di Napoli Orto Botanico di Zurigo e la Serra Malgascia Giardino Botanico Nuova Gussonea Orto Botanico di Catania Orto Botanico di Ginevra Centro Botanico Moutan Orto Botanico di Palermo Roseto di Roma

One can associate the complexity of the world with the intricate shape of a labyrinth, which is a symbol of the perplexity and bewilderment experienced by men who face the unknown. A labyrinth is traditionally created to confuse and disorient, yet the Labirinto della Masone’s purpose is to distance itself as much as possible from the labyrinth-prison analogy. On the contrary it was created to amaze, surprise and welcome visitors. REGGIA EMILIA Labyrinth of Masone BY LIVIA DANESE In the province of Parma, near the small town of Fontanellato, is the largest labyrinth in the world. The Labirinto della Masone was founded by publisher and art collector Franco Maria Ricci. He and his friend and colleague Jorge Luis Borges fantasized about conceiving a garden with natural winding paths to ideally represent the uncertainties of each man's life. One can associate the complexity of the world with the intricate shape of a labyrinth, which is a symbol of the perplexity and bewilderment experienced by men who face the unknown. A labyrinth is traditionally created to confuse and disorient, yet the Labirinto della Masone’s purpose is to distance itself as much as possible from the labyrinth-prison analogy. On the contrary it was created to amaze, surprise and welcome visitors. Bamboo plants are the undisputed protagonists of the garden: they are light but extremely resistant and soar upwards to surprising heights. Bambusa species are symbolically linked with many values and virtues. In Eastern tradition they metaphorically represent the conscience of upright men who remain steadfast while facing adversities. Furthermore many legends associate bamboo with perseverance and patience: only after developing strong and healthy roots can the plant grow elegantly and abundantly. The Labyrinth is made up of more than 200 000 different species that grow vigorously towards the sky, forming a maze of seemingly indistinguishable paths and dead ends. One can stop in the shade of this evergreen plant along the way, internalizing the bamboo’s symbolic meanings which remind us of the importance of being flexible yet resistant, versatile and patient. Intricate plays of lights and shadows as well as alternating colours accompany the visitor along a winding, alienating path. It leads to an unusual pyramid-shaped chapel at the centre of the labyrinth, where wider and brighter spaces abruptly spread out. Here the visitor can finally find his bearings and is guided towards the end of the route. The Labirinto della Masone is a place to visit at least once in a lifetime, not only for the site itself but also for the surrounding countryside. This genuine, real and anachronistic scenery was in fact much loved by photographer Luigi Ghirri. Livia Danese GALLERY Photo ©CRISTINA ARCHINTO Info: Official website more botanical gardens and nurseries Parco Paterno del Toscano Orto Botanico di Ginevra Orto Botanico di Ginevra Centro Botanico Moutan Orto Botanico di Palermo Roseto di Roma Chicago Batanical Garden Giardino Esotico Pallanca

The Botanical Garden of Palermo was inaugurated in 1795 with the aim of contributing to the development of botanical and medical sciences in the Sicilian city. In the oldest sector of the Garden the plants are still arranged according to the classification system of Linnaeus. SICILY Botanical Garden of Palermo BY MARGHERITA LOMBARDI The Botanical Garden of Palermo is located next to Villa Giulia, bordering the Kalsa district. In 1779, to accompany the newly founded Accademia di Regi studi, which had annexed the chair of Botany and Medical Matters, a small botanical garden was created, adjacent to the Porta di Carini, but became insufficient for the needs of the chair, in 1786 it was transferred to its present location. Between 1789 and 1795 the main buildings were built, the Gymnasium and the two lateral bodies of the Tepidarium and the Calidarium, in neoclassical style, designed by the French architect Leon Dufurny. Originally the garden, enriched with pools and fountains and a magnificent Aquarium, was divided into rectangular plots to divide the collections according to Linnaeus' system, but in the early nineteenth century it was modified. The Garden was still enlarged in later periods, and a grove of exotic plants and the Winter Garden, for example, was created in a large greenhouse. In the 1930s it acquired its definitive appearance, with the entrance area divided into regular areas and the southern area furrowed by more articulated paths. The collections. The Botanical Garden of Palermo hosts, in total, 12,000 species, mainly from South Africa, Australia and South America. Among these, there are the giant specimen of Ficus macrophylla, symbol of the Garden, the collection of marsh plants that includes lotuses (Nelumbum nucifera), water lilies and papyrus (Cyperus papyrus); the palms of the genus Phoenix spp., Cycads; species belonging to the families Moracee, Mimosacee, Rutacee, Euphorbiacee, Aizoacee, Asclepiadacee, Liliacee, Crassulacee and Cactacee, citrus fruits and a fragrant collection of plumerie, a plant as widespread in Palermo as medlar is on the terraces and gardens of northern cities. Among the botanical curiosities are Sapindus mukorossi, Pimenta acris, Coffea arabica, Ficus sycomorus, Mimosa spegazzinii, Crescentia alata, Saccharum officinarum, Manihot utilissima and Carica papaya. The Botanical Garden of Palermo is responsible for the introduction and diffusion in Mediterranean countries of Citrus deliciosa and Eriobotrya japonica. You can admire substantial collections of dried plants that are preserved in the Herbarium Mediterraneum. Every year a catalogue is published of seeds of both wild plants from Sicily and cultivated in the Garden, available for exchanges with scientific institutions from all continents. The tallest plant in the Garden is an annual Araucaria columnaris . Spectacular the avenue enclosed by large specimens Ceiba speciosa (formerly Chorisia speciosa). Margherita Lombardi GALLERY Photo ©CRISTINA ARCHINTO Info: Italian Botanical Heritage Italian Botanical Trips Palermo Botanical Garden more botanical gardens and nurseries Orto Botanico di Ginevra Orto Botanico di Ginevra Roma Roseto di Roma Chicago Chicago Batanical Garden Giardino Esotico Pallanca Parco Botanico Villa Rocca Water Nursery Giardino Botanico di Hanbury

The Villa Taranto botanical gardens are a true botanic gallery, with thousands of species of plants and flowers from all over the world. Eucalyptus, azaleas, rhododendrons, magnolias, camellias, dahlias, tulips, lotus flowers, heathers, hydrangeas, numerous tropical plants and even rare specimens. PIEDMONT BOTANICAL GARDENS OF VILLA TARANTO A walk between aesthetics and botany The putti fountain Photographs Cristina Archinto Text Carla De Agostini I n 1930, Scottish-born captain Neil Boyd Watson McEacharn, who had known Italy since childhood, reads an advertisement for sale in The Times and discovered that the Contessa di Sant'Elia's property is on sale. Intrigued, he immediately goes to see it; he has been looking for land for more than two years to build a large garden of his own. Impressed by its potential he immediately buys it and the following year settles in the villa on Lake Maggiore. He first changed its name: from La Crocetta to Villa Taranto, in honour of one of his ancestors who had been named Duke of Taranto by Napoleon Bonaparte, and then began hard work on the garden in order to create diversified but at the same time harmonious and original microclimates. The Terraced Gardens Today, Villa Taranto is a veritable gallery of botanical art, with thousands of species of plants and flowers from all over the world: the 8,500 species surveyed by McEacharn himself in 1963 now number almost 20,000. Eucalyptus trees, azaleas, rhododendrons, magnolias, maples, camellias, dahlias, tulips, lotus flowers, heathers, hydrangeas, numerous tropical plants and even rare specimens are distributed in thematic zones such as the Conifer Avenue, the Tree Ferns Valley the Giardino all'Italiana, the Giardino delle Eriche, the Labyrinth of Dahlias, the Greenhouses of Tropical Plants where Victoria Cruziana and Amazonica are cultivated, which arrived at the Villa in 1956 from the Stockholm Botanical Garden. The Captain's plants come from all over the world, especially from the rich English nurseries, the Royal Gardens of Kew, Edinburgh and the Royal Horticultural Society. But also from France, Germany, Spain, Eastern Europe, Japan, South Africa, the United States and Australia. They are joined by Italian floriculturists, such as Countess Senni of Rome, founder of the Italian society 'Amici dei fiori' (Friends of Flowers), who gave him numerous varieties of irises, and Prince Borromeo, who in 1949 donated two rare plants of Metasequoia glyptostroboides to the Villa The area of succulents The valley Today, Villa Taranto is a veritable gallery of botanical art, with thousands of species of plants and flowers from all over the world: the 8,500 species surveyed by McEacharn himself in 1963 now number almost 20,000. Eucalyptus trees, azaleas, rhododendrons, magnolias, maples, camellias, dahlias, tulips, lotus flowers, heathers, hydrangeas, numerous tropical plants and even rare specimens are distributed in thematic zones such as the Conifer Avenue, the Tree Ferns Valley the Giardino all'Italiana, the Giardino delle Eriche, the Labyrinth of Dahlias, the Greenhouses of Tropical Plants where Victoria Cruziana and Amazonica are cultivated, which arrived at the Villa in 1956 from the Stockholm Botanical Garden. The Captain's plants come from all over the world, especially from the rich English nurseries, the Royal Gardens of Kew, Edinburgh and the Royal Horticultural Society. But also from France, Germany, Spain, Eastern Europe, Japan, South Africa, the United States and Australia. They are joined by Italian floriculturists, such as Countess Senni of Rome, founder of the Italian society 'Amici dei fiori' (Friends of Flowers), who gave him numerous varieties of irises, and Prince Borromeo, who in 1949 donated two rare plants of Metasequoia glyptostroboides to the Villa The fern with the Dicksonia antarctica Strolling around Villa Taranto, one cannot help but be enchanted by never-before-seen plants such as the beautiful Pterostyrax hispidus, commonly known as the epaulette tree, as the flowers resemble the epaulettes that adorned soldiers' clothes. These beautiful clusters of flowers swaying in the breeze attract many birds and give off a delicate fragrance, or the Emmenopterys henryi of the Rubiaceae family, a white-flowered tree that can be up to a thousand years old and is native to the temperate areas of central and southern China and Vietnam. Also in the fern valley you can admire the Dicksonia antarctica tree ferns native to eastern Australia, Tasmania and New Zealand, which resemble dancers. To conclude, strolling through the garden of Villa Taranto is something that really leaves its mark and takes you through shapes, fragrances and the world in a sublime setting. Pterostyrax hispidus THE BLOSSOMING OF RHODODENTRONS Rhododendron flowers are famous for their bright colouring, appreciated since ancient Greece, where they were known as the 'rose tree', from rhodon, rose and dendron, tree. They can be flat, bell-shaped or funnel-shaped and in some varieties, may be slightly perfumed. Very fascinating is their flowering: several flowers are produced from each bud, usually six or seven, each consisting of five petals and the anther, which contains the pollen. This grouping is technically a corymb, i.e. a regular cluster of buds at the end of the branch. The term is derived from the Latin corymbus, 'cluster inflorescence', borrowed from the Greek kórymbos, 'highest part, top'. This phenomenon allows the blossomed flowers to be all at the same height, as for example the elderberry. The rhododendron is a member of the Ericaceae family, like azaleas, and is a plant native to the Orient that loves cool, moist conditions. The oldest records of the rhododendron's existence take us back to 400 B.C., to Xenophon's soldiers who, returning from Babylon, camped in the hills of Armenia and almost ended up being poisoned by honey made from the nectar of the poisonous Asiatic wild species. The first wild and later cultivated species was the Rhododendron hirsutum also known as the 'alpine rose', of which there are records as early as 1500. GALLERY Photo ©CRISTINA ARCHINTO LINK Official website More Gardens and Parks I giardini di Villa Melzi I giardini di Villa Melzi Parco giardini di Sicurtà Parco giardini di Sicurtà Gairdino di Villa Lante Villa Lante parco del Flauto Magico Parco Flauto Magico Bomarzo Parco Villa la Grange Labirinto della Masone Giardino di Kenroku-en

Since the dawn of time, light has always fascinated man because it represents the supreme power to illuminate darkness. First, of course, it was fire that illuminated and defended man, then Edison brought light into homes with mass production of lamps and electricity, although he was not the actual inventor. At the Botanical Garden in Rome we have a taste of Light Art to see it in a new light. FRANCE LOIRE VALLEY The Gardens of Villandry Castle Photographs and text by Cristina Archinto The Gardens of Villandry are part of the last of the Great Castles erected during the Renaissance in that historical environmental context which is the Loire Valley. The French nobleman Jean Le Breton had it built on the remains of an ancient medieval fortress built in the 16th century. In the 19th century the garden underwent several transformations, until 1906 when Joachim Carvallo and his wife Ann Coleman bought the castle and started a major restoration, including the gardens. At the time, the gardens were in a state of total abandonment and degradation and the photographs of the time make us understand how little was left of the glorious past, and only strong determination and in-depth studies have allowed the Carvallos to recreate the splendor of once. He, a Spanish doctor and botanist with a very strong passion for horticulture, she, scientist, American heiress of iron and steel magnates, together with their knowledge and their heritage have created a true garden of wonders, restoring the areas, such as the Italian garden and the herb garden, the water garden and the labyrinth, sometimes in the French style, sometimes in the Romantic or Renaissance style Today the Ornamental Garden is the main attraction of the gardens of Villandry. In a purely Renaissance style, it is made up of nine parcels all of the same size, but each with a different geometric pattern created by vegetables and flowers. In the boxes are planted vegetables of amazing colors that bewitch; blue leeks, red cabbage and beets, jade green carrot tops, and so on, giving the impression of a multicolored checkerboard, all carefully selected to ensure the best aesthetic but also culinary performance. But there are also tomatoes, courgettes, aubergines, peppers, beans, carrots, onions, cauliflowers, broccoli, lettuces, spinaches and many others, all grown according to sustainable agricultural principles, using organic and integrated cultivation techniques, without pesticides or chemical fertilizers. In short, natural products grown with environmentally friendly techniques and used in the kitchen of the castle restaurant and sold to the public during the summer. The Ornamental Garden, on the other hand, is conceived as an extension of the halls of the Castle of Villandry and develops on the second terrace, between the Vegetable Garden and the Water Garden. A canal divides the Ornamental Garden into two green halls, known as the First Hall and Second Hall. The Renaissance design of this part of the gardens of Villandry is the result of a collaboration between the Sevillian artist Lozano and the painter and landscape architect Javier de Winthuysen for the First Salon, while the Second Salon was designed by Joachim Carvallo. The parterre designs in these rooms clearly evoke the Andalusian style. At the southern end of the estate, is the Water Garden. This French “boulingrin”, or grassy ground, bordered by grassy banks called glacis, consists of an ornamental pond in the center in the shape of a Louis XV mirror, embellished here and there by square lawn parterres and a network of perpendicular avenues and by four secondary ornamental ponds. The current water garden dates from the early 20th century and was built when the gardens of Villandry were transformed into a jardin à la française (formal garden) in the 18th century. The redevelopment of the park in the 19th century in an English romantic style led to the replacement of the classic ornamental lake with one with more natural lines. Based on the 18th century plans, Joachim Carvallo recreated the ornamental pond and gave this area the clear and regular look it has today. After Dr Carvallo's death in 1936, his descendants work to preserve and develop the Villandry estate with the rigor and self-sacrifice that make gardens extraordinary. The Garden of simples is a creation of the 70s; as for the Garden of the Sun, inspired by a design by Joachim, it was inaugurated in 2008 and celebrates the centenary of the restoration of these exceptional gardens in grand style. Today, the gardens of Villandry are one of France's most popular tourist attractions and are admired for their beauty and botanical mastery. Walking through this place is a source of continuous amazement, the natural geometries are the protagonists and they are everywhere like the chromatic combinations that fascinate and amaze. In these gardens you have the clear sensation that nothing is left to chance, therefore "natural", but at the same time you perceive "nature" in a profound way. GALLERY Photos ©CRISTINA ARCHINTO Info: Official website Other GARDENS and PARKS Giardini Botanici di Villa Taranto Giardini Botanici di Villa Taranto I giardini di Villa Melzi I giardini di Villa Melzi Parco giardini di Sicurtà Parco giardini di Sicurtà Gairdino di Villa Lante Villa Lante parco del Flauto Magico Parco Flauto Magico Bomarzo Parco Villa la Grange Labirinto della Masone