VIDEO | From Pnrr 300 million for historic parks, in June ‘appointment in the garden’

ROME - Three hundred million euros for Italy's historic parks and gardens. It is the total amount of the investment of the Ministry of Culture as part of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan which includes three areas of intervention: restoration and enhancement of 126 historic parks and gardens selected on the basis of public notice for 190 million euros, […]

ROME- Three hundred million euros for Italy’s historic parks and gardens. This is the overall amount of the investment by the Ministry of Culture as part of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan which provides three 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 important historic parks and gardens, identified by the Mic for 100 million euros and, for 10 million euros, census of over 5,000 parks and gardens and training of 1,260 artistic gardeners.

“When we organized the Pnrr funds in 2021, the ministry leaders asked us to implement a widespread culture strategy that also included parks and gardens, historical places, but also very important on a social level, as the period has shown us of Covid”, recalled today Angelantonio Orlando, director of the Mission Unit for the implementation of the Pnrr of the Ministry of Culture, who spoke today at the presentation of Appointment in the Garden, the event scheduled for June 1st and 2nd in over 200 parks and gardens from all over Italy.

“Three hundred million euros seemed sufficient to me – added Orlando – but the numbers have shown us that perhaps many more are needed. The objective was to redevelop at least 110 parks by 2026. We also issued a tender for private individuals with very notable results in terms of numbers and quality of the projects. In the notice we also included the aspects of and usability of these places. Unfortunately, they received 1,081 applications for over 1 billion and 286 million euros , resources are limited and we have only financed 126 projects, which is still beyond the European target.”

As regards the progress of the construction sites, the director finally explained, of the 67 interventions planned for private gardens, 56 have been started, while 38 of the 59 interventions planned for public gardens have been started. The census instead, it will allow us to quantify the historic parks and gardens present on the national territory with advantages from the point of view of the protection, conservation and enhancement of the so-called green heritage.

The construction of a database will also contribute to more informed landscape and territorial planning. The object of the census will be public and private parks and gardens of all types which are of interest from a historical perspective, artistic, architectural, botanical and landscape. In numerical terms, a target of gardens to be cataloged was assigned to each region, in order to obtain the overall cataloging of over 5,000 gardens.

It is here that on June 1st and 2nd the Italian Parks and Gardens Association (Apgi) meets all enthusiasts for the seventh edition of the event organized with the support of Ales Spa and with the patronage of the Ministry of Culture and Anci. At the center of the 2024 edition, the theme ‘The five senses in the garden’ which will be expressed through more than 300 events.

“Ales, as a founding member of Apgi, organizes this beautiful initiative which will allow everyone to experience these beautiful places which will be increasingly valorised also thanks to the collaboration with the Association and with the Ministry of Culture as a function of the three hundred million of euros included in the Pnrr. Ales with its technicians is offering its technical support so that the Pnrr can see the real concrete realization in terms of parks and gardens”, said the president and CEO of Ales, Fabio Tagliaferri.

As in previous editions, the program sees the involvement of numerous actors: gardeners, botanists, landscapers, private owners and public managers, important foundations and associations with the aim of describing the universe of the garden, highlighting its fragility, cultural and environmental relevance, as well as the importance for the well-being of individuals and the community.