The rediscovered garden at Orticolario
Visitor prize
The rediscovered garden echoes the world’s first garden: an idyllic place where the sun shines discreetly and seems to never set.
This welcoming green space features a central lawn surrounded by an abundance of trees and bushes, selected not only for their aesthetic appeal, but also for their practical value. It is an invitation to enter and be enveloped by a new reality where the spontaneous richness of the plant world takes centre stage.
This lush cornucopia is brought to life by symbols of vitality, such as a clear stream, large fruit trees with abundant foliage, flowering bushes, and wild edible plants.
Details
Status: Completed
Design team: M. Valagussa, M. Fraschini, M. Viganò, E. Costa
Location: Cernobbio (Como – Lombardia – Italia)
Scope: Public
Sector: Events and Trade Fairs
GALLERY
Description
The project selected for the Orticolario International Creative Spaces Competition is a reinterpretation of the Garden of Eden as described in the Holy Scriptures. The traditional design of the creative space enables visitors to immerse themselves in the world’s first garden, an idyllic setting where the sun never sets and nature is both ‘friendly’ and ‘sovereign’.
The protagonist is a majestic, sweet orange tree (Citrus sinensis), which is almost four metres tall and laden with fruit. It was specially chosen to represent nature’s bounty. Several other highly symbolic trees have also been added, including a pomegranate tree (Punica granatum), whose fruit is a universal symbol of abundance, and a fig tree (Ficus carica), which is a model of resilience. There are also vines bearing ripe bunches of grapes.
Measuring approximately 100 square metres, the space is designed to resemble a valley opening up between gentle slopes covered with over 2,000 wild and edible alimurgic plants and aromatic herbs. Species such as Allium, Aloysia, Helichrysum, Malva, Melissa and Papaver carpet the ground, bearing witness to nature’s daily gifts.
The Edenic symbolism is completed by a watercourse measuring around eight metres in length and populated by papyrus (Cyperus alternifolius) and equisetum.
Other natural elements make up the footpath: split beola stone.
In an Eden conceived as a homely garden, the lawn is an essential feature. A soft, welcoming carpet of grass provides a uniform surface for walking and relaxation.
Status: Completed
Design team: M. Valagussa, M. Fraschini, M. Viganò, E. Costa
Location: Cernobbio (Como – Lombardia – Italia)
Scope: Public
Sector: Events and Trade Fairs
