There are 25 candles on the cake of Grandi Giardini Italiani in 2022, which today represents 146 gardens in 14 regions. To celebrate the anniversary of its foundation, the network of the most beautiful gardens in Italy, has planned a series of exhibitions and events, dedicated to unique treasures of Italy’s beauty.
In 1997, Judith Wade, an English entrepreneur, founded the circuit. The main objective was to introduce the immense artistic and botanical heritage of Italian gardens to the general public in Italy and abroad. It is undeniable that the staggering growth in the number of visitors to the Grandi Giardini Italiani over the last twenty-five years is not the result of a “natural” phenomenon, but rather the improvement of reception policies and the creation of events and educational trails.
Since its creation, Grandi Giardini Italiani has made Horticultural tourism in Italy known, a source of funding for the maintenance of these extraordinary cultural assets, which represent the most famous Made in Italy in the world. The increase in the number of visitors is also due to the growing interest on the part of the public for themes close to nature, the environment and the landscape. Over 8 million visitors were registered in 2019. With the know-how accumulated in 25 years of work in the sector, Grandi Giardini Italiani has to its credit the organization of shows, conferences and exhibitions. And to celebrate the 25th anniversary, a rich program of events is planned.
Among the most interesting events is The Paradise of the English in the Ligurian Riviera. Stories, landscapes and people, on March 25 and 26, 2022 at Villa Marigola in Lerici, near La Spezia in Liguria. The conference focuses attention on the incredible heritage of parks and residences, created by illustrious English personalities who, between the second half of the nineteenth century and the first half of the twentieth century, found their Eden in Liguria.
There will also be events designed for families. On April 18 – Easter Monday – there is a special edition of the traditional Botanical Treasure Hunt of Grandi Giardini Italiani: children aged 6 to 10 will have fun discovering the secrets of plants and ecology and discovering the surprises along the way, to the point of conquering, clue after clue, the coveted certificate of “Little Botanist”.
Special openings are also planned in summer, such as those of the Garden of Villa Marigola, organized by the Friends of Villa Marigola Association, in collaboration with Grandi Giardini Italiani.
Villa D’este, in Tivoli, the masterpiece residence of the Italian Renaissance and Unesco World Heritage Site, will instead be the protagonist from October 13 to November 1, 2022 with the first edition of the exhibition “The botanical collections at Villa d’Este”.
2022 will also be the year of the first edition of the “Platinum Rose of the Great Italian Gardens” award, an award for the best floral designers. Every year, the best floral masters in Italy will be invited to express their talent, trying their hand at a theme identified by the organization as a leitmotif. The focus chosen for 2022 is ” Flowers and colors, from Rubens to Baroque ” and will be held at Villa Marigola in Lerici from December 7 December to December 11, 2022. In the halls of the residence the three professionals crowned Florist of the Year will exhibit their works, inspired by the baroque theme.
More info on the various gardens, and to book tickets and visits is available at Grandi Giardini Italiani
