The second Diverdeinverde was a success, despite the fact that the first two days of the event were rainy and the sun didn’t peek out until Sunday. In any case, it was a wonderful surprise to see how many people – with jackets, hoods and colourful umbrellas – were willing to face the bad weather, with typically English aplomb, on Friday and Saturday to visit gardens, take pictures and participate in events. Some were nice enough to say that the gardens were even more fascinating in the rain. That is actually true, as we know.
On Sunday, the tenacious visitors of the previous days were joined by many others, and in the end there were more visitors than last year, when we had three wonderful days of sunshine. We sold 2,538 tickets (versus 1,930 in 2014). The pleasure we saw on the faces of people entering and exiting the gardens and wandering around the city, programme in hand, was immensely gratifying and we are grateful to everyone who participated.
The owners of the gardens were perfect hosts. Many accompanied visitors around the gardens and, in some cases, they even opened up their homes, conversing amiably with everyone. In other cases, they were more reserved, but it was clear that they paid special attention to preparing the visit, presenting well-manicured and welcoming gardens. Our heartfelt thanks go to all of them for making this minor miracle of civility, courtesy and beauty possible.
In addition to the forty-eight gardens offered on the programme, the free side events also attracted numerous people: from concerts to readings and encounters, with many delightful and moving moments. There were also many young people, families with children, foreign tourists (mainly English and German), and countless Italians from out of town and even outside the region, thanks also to the fact that the event was highlighted by Gardenia.
Credits
Diverdeinverde is a project curated by the Villa Ghigi Foundation, conceived of and staged in collaboration with Silvia Cuttin. General coordination: Mino Petazzini and Silvia Cuttin.
Collaborators: Angela Antropoli, Paolo Donati, Emanuela Rondoni, Teresa Guerra, Silvia Salvatorelli, Paolina Ceccarelli, Ivan Bisetti, Isabella Fabbri (IBC Regione Emilia-Romagna), Fiorella De Leo (Garden Club Camilla Malvasia).
Coordinated image: Gloria Pernat
Website: Paolo Donati
Video: Andrea Martini
Acknowledgements
We are grateful above all to the owners who have so generously and freely participated in the event by opening their gardens.
Special thanks go to the organizations, companies, associations and many friends that, in various ways, have helped us prepare and stage this event.
City of Bologna, Bologna Welcome, BAC – Bologna Ambiente Comune, University of Bologna, Istituto Beni Culturali dell’Emilia-Romagna, Teatro Comunale di Bologna, Bologna Chamber of Commerce, Confcommercio ASCOM, FAI – Fondo Ambiente Italiano – Bologna Delegation, Associazione Dimore Storiche Italiane – Emilia-Romagna Section, Garden Club Camilla Malvasia, Fondazione del Monte, Coop Adriatica, Unopiù, Assicoop Bologna, Gruppo HERA, Gardenia, Flò Fiori, Scarlett Casa e Dintorni Quartiere Santo Stefano, Museo Civico del Risorgimento, Museo di Casa Carducci, Casa Morandi, Museo della Musica, Bonifica Renana, Istituto Professionale Lavoratori Edili di Bologna e Provincia, NaturaSì for help in circulating the programme and selling tickets, Antigianquality, Platek, Galleria Fondantico, Il giardino incontra la luce, bookshops associated with Confcommercio ASCOM dedicating windows to gardens and the landscape (IBIS, Il Leonardo e Secondo Rinascimento, Trame), Scuola di Teatro Alessandra Galante Garrone, Il giardino del Guasto association, Coro Athena, Ensemble Bottega del caffè, Giordana Arcesilai, Lilia Battaglia, Claudia Busi, Francesco Ceccarelli, Elisabetta Dallolio, Roberto Diolaiti, Giovanni Facchinetti Pulazzini, Carla Facchini, Mauro Felicori, Emilio Ferrari, Giovanni Fini, Mattia Fontanella, Marina Forni, Paola Galletti, Cristina Giardini, Claudia Gobbi, Raffaella Grimaudo, Marinella Maleti, Linda La Mendola, Augusto Lenzi, Maria Elena Loria, Alice Manfredini, Anna Manfron, Ilaria Manghi, Filippo Marsigli, Giuseppina Massara, Anna Maria Matteucci, Francesca Maurighi, Alberto Minelli, Monica Palmieri, Piergiorgio Rocchi, Patrik Romano, Claudia Tonelli Rossi, Otello Sangiorgi, Simonetta Santucci, Francesca Sofri, Giancarlo Tonelli, Daniele Torreggiani, Paola Valli Papini, Simona Ventura, Bruno Vicentini, Daniele Zappi.
