Bologna 17 to 19 May 2019

Three days to discover that Bologna is a garden

Diverdeinverde is the event in Bologna that, one weekend a year, offers people the chance to visit the hidden gardens in the city centre and the parks in the foothills and surrounding plains. It is a special opportunity to discover the city from a different viewpoint, enjoy surprising corners and viewpoints, admire large trees and countless different species of plants and flowers, and appreciate both historic and more modern landscape architecture.

Diverdeinverde is going to open the gates and doors of about 50 private and secret gardens from the afternoon of Friday, 17 May until the evening of Sunday, 19 May 2019.

Diverdeinverde 2018 after the show

The 2018 edition of Diverdeinverde has now come to a close, flying by in what seemed to have been a magical instant. In order to mark this fifth year, we made some changes and improvements, some of which were suggested by visitors themselves. Our printed materials now include a brochure, allowing visitors to plan their visit in a more informed manner, and an overview chart, which was especially helpful to those who were not already familiar with our show. We also gave visitors a badge holder – this helped them keep track of their badges and avoided having people lose them like in previous years, and it also made it easier to gain access to the gardens.  Furthermore, we moved our logistical base to the Arena Orfeonica, the beautiful courtyard of a former convent that, in years to come, may allow us to offer more opportunities to meet and hold cultural events during the show.

There was an even greater sense of warmth and hospitality as compared to previous years; this came first and foremost from the generosity of the owners who opened up their gardens, welcoming visitors with kindness and courtesy; they were pleased to do it.  Visitors showed they were grateful for this special opportunity, as well as the wonderful welcome they received. Even the queues that formed in some gardens, which were small or had never before been open to the public, were seen as an opportunity to share impressions and exchange opinions and tips. Our young workers in their green shirts worked with great passion as always in order to make sure everything went as smoothly as possible. They were backed up by volunteers from the environmental guard.

There were about 5,300 visitors, most of whom came from Bologna, but there were also some who came from nearby cities and even the rest of Italy. There were also foreign visitors who came to Bologna just to visit Diverdeinverde,and this makes us happy and is gratifying because let’s not forget that the idea to create the show in 2014 was inspired by similar events in two European capitals: London and Amsterdam. Perhaps we have helped make Bologna a bit more international, and this is thanks as well to its gardens and the opportunity to visit the city in an alternative way.

We look forward to seeing you at the sixth edition of Diverdeinverde, which will take place from May 17 to May 19, 2019.