Appointment in the Garden, the national event now in its eighth edition dedicated to enhancing the parks and gardens of Italy, is back. Scheduled for Saturday, June 7 and Sunday, June 8, the event includes more than 300 initiatives distributed in 260 gardens scattered throughout the country.
The initiative, promoted by APGI - Association of Italian Parks and Gardens in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture and Ales Spa, under the patronage of ANCI - National Association of Italian Municipalities, aims to stimulate the knowledge and discovery of Italian gardens, highlighting their historical, artistic, botanical and landscape importance.
Conceived as a true “garden festival,” the event is held in conjunction with the European event Rendez-vous aux jardins, which involves more than 20 European countries. As in previous editions, the program includes the involvement of gardeners, botanists, landscape architects, private owners, public bodies, foundations and associations with the aim of narrating the world of the garden, highlighting its fragility, cultural and ecological value, and positive role for individual and collective well-being. Particular attention is also paid to the care, maintenance and protection of gardens, issues that are now more central than ever, thanks in part to the PNRR, which has allocated specific resources for the conservation and enhancement of historic gardens.
“With its more than 300 events, Appointment in the Garden is today an appreciated initiative in terms of public participation, also thanks to the increasingly acquired awareness that gardens constitute authentic ’open-air museums’ by virtue of their inestimable value: a distinctive element of the Italian cultural tradition and a key factor in preserving the identity of places,” highlighted Ambassador Ludovico Ortona, President APGI - Association of Italian Parks and Gardens.
“Ales, an in-house company of the Ministry of Culture and a founding partner of APGI, confirms its strategic role in the enhancement of historic gardens. After years of commitment in supporting this event, now in its eighth edition, Ales thus contributes to consolidating and increasing the conditions for gardens to be cared for, known and frequented,” stressed Ales President and CEO Fabio Tagliaferri.
“In this edition of Appointment in the Garden 61 gardens benefiting from PNRR funding are participating, and for many of them this event coincides with the reopening upon completion of restoration/maintenance activities. To date, more than 70 gardens have completed the work, anticipating the achievement of the European target set on this PNRR measure by 6 months,” said PNRR Implementation Officer Luigi Scaroina.
“The amount of the PNRR investment of the Ministry of Culture earmarked for historic parks and gardens is 300 million euros divided into 3 areas of intervention: restoration and enhancement of 126 historic parks and gardens selected on the basis of public notice for 190 million euros; restoration and enhancement of 5 relevant historic parks and gardens, identified by the MiC for 100 million euros; intervention of census of more than 5,000 parks and gardens and training of 1260 art gardeners for 10 million euros,” pointed out Angelantonio Orlando, Director General Mission Unit for the Implementation of the PNRR of the Ministry of Culture.
The 2025 edition allows visitors to explore a wide variety of settings: from monumental historic gardens to fine private gardens, from botanical gardens to contemporary projects. The Ministry of Culture is participating with ten of its most representative gardens, including the Boboli Gardens, the Villa di Cerreto Guidi, the Villa Durazzo Pallavicini in Pegli, the Real Bosco di Capodimonte, the Castello di Agliè and Villa Pisani in Stra. Some venues will offer extraordinary openings, such as the 20th-century Rose Garden of the Palazzo Farnese in Caprarola, which is not usually accessible to the public.
Also significant is the participation of Historic Private Mansions, which will make gardens of great value accessible, such as the historic park Il Torrione (Piedmont), Villa Rizzardi - Giardino di Pojega (Veneto), Villa Togni Averoldi (Lombardy), Villa Torrigiani and Villa Le Corti (Tuscany), Villa Bell’Aspetto (Lazio) and Villa Miralfiore in Pesaro (Marche). There are also numerous gardens belonging to FAI - Fondo Ambiente Italiano, a founding member of APGI, which participates with 12 sites, including the Giardino della Kolymbethra in Agrigento, Villa della Porta Bozzolo in the province of Varese and Villa Rezzola in Lerici, the latter recently restored thanks to PNRR funds.
Italian municipalities are playing an active role in the initiative, increasingly recognizing the value of parks and gardens not only as vital ecosystems, but also as spaces of sociality, learning and tourist attraction. Significant examples include the Ciucioi Garden in Lavis (Trentino) and the Monserrato Park in Sassari, considered one of the most important historic gardens in Sardinia. Civic participation is also important, as in the case of the Cairoli Garden in Rome (I Municipio), managed by volunteers from the Huffer Association. The contribution of territorial networks is also important, such as the Piedmont Garden of Essences, which involves 13 gardens between the provinces of Cuneo and Asti, territories renowned for the cultivation of aromatic herbs and edible flowers.
There are also numerous side activities on offer, designed for a diverse audience and also suitable for families: alongside guided tours, there will be workshops for children, editorial presentations, musical performances and cultural meetings.
The theme of the 2025 edition, Stone Gardens. Stones of the Garden, will be a common thread running through many of the initiatives. In some sites , stone will be the protagonist because of its natural presence, as in the Tuscan Paternò Park at the foot of Mount Etna; elsewhere it will be highlighted for its artistic value, as in the garden of the Pogliaghi House-Museum (Varese). Special attention will also be paid to traditional techniques such as Ligurian risseu, a decorative pebble technique visible at the Royal Palace in Genoa and Villa Durazzo Centurione in Santa Margherita Ligure, among others. Dry stone walls, on the other hand, will be featured at Villa Rufolo (Ravello), Villa della Pergola (Alassio) and the Apennine Flora Garden (Capracotta), where it will be possible to participate in demonstration workshops. Finally, archaeological remains and man-made ruins will be explored as evocative elements in the gardens of Villa d’Este and the Reggia di Caserta, both emblematic places of the influence of antiquity in European garden history.
All up-to-date information, the list of participating gardens and the full program of activities are available on the official website: https://appuntamentoingiardino.it
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| Eighth edition of Appointment in the Garden kicks off: June 7 and 8, more than 300 events in 260 Italian gardens |
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