A corner of a garden breathing under its breath at the edge of a wooded bank, a short distance from the remains of the amphitheater of Augusta Bagiennorum. Thus appears, in the shadow of Cascina Ellena, the Roman Garden of Bene Vagienna. A quadrangular area that echoes the utilitarian regularity typical of the ancient Romans, with four homogeneous sectors devoted to cereals, orchard, vegetable garden, aromatic and medicinal plants. No space for the superfluous, just two crisscrossing earthen paths embellished with a vine pergola on chestnut poles. A meditative appendix in the heart of history, in short, where one can touch the charm of Roman civilization, associating this corner of domestic everyday life with a visit to the nearby archaeological park.

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Project Diary No. 1
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The Abbey Church of San Pietro, first attested in 1259, is the oldest in the town of Cherasco. A small architectural jewel whose medieval imprint can still be perceived in its facade and bell tower, but above all in the landscape identity of the homonymous and neighboring Garden. A recreation of the so-called

“gardens of the simple” (from Latin “medicine simplex” to indicate medicinal herbs and the places where they were grown) that once accompanied the life of abbeys.

A space divided into square compartments that surround a cross-shaped pathway symbolizing the religious bond. A green area intended to reintroduce the spirit of the monastic community of yesteryear, immersed in a delicate balance between man, nature and the agricultural environment.

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A green area that smells of history thanks to the adjacent Sanctuary of Our Lady of the People and the charm of the nearby ramparts, unmistakable symbols of the city’s ancient urban layout. An intimate and silent space that comes from afar, from that vegetable garden that the Somaschi Fathers created on site interweaving utilitarian purposes with meditative and spiritual ones. Walking through this small urban oasis today, time seems to stand still because of that perfect interaction between ornamental functions and nutritional purposes. Among the various regular flower beds, in fact, species with edible flowers are cultivated that deserve to be known for organoleptic peculiarities and nutritional properties. A journey between didactics and tradition, for an unexpected place different from the usual.

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Botanical Fact Sheets
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A monumental complex consisting of three separate buildings, built and remodeled between the 11th and 18th centuries, for an architectural excellence with few equals in the entire Piedmont region. Here they are, in a nutshell, the Tapparelli d’Azeglio Castles of Lagnasco, nestled in the fruit-growing heart of the Cuneo plain and guardians, in turn, of a green lung inspired by the 1570 fresco “The Castle of Lagnasco and the 16th-century gardens,” preserved inside the Loggia delle Grottesche.

Formed by rectangular flowerbeds and covering about 1,000 square meters, the Essence Garden is now an emotional journey of scents, flavors and immune-stimulating plants.

Rounding out the tour offerings is the opportunity to collect herbs in situ and the opportunity to enjoy various educational and experiential workshops aimed at enhancing one’s sensory awareness.

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Journal and insights on the project
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An overview that combines the past with the present, architecture with landscape, tradition with innovation. The Museum-Garden of the Silk Civilization in Racconigi is a place of storytelling where simple disclosure meets engaging scenic spaces to become a holistic account of the time that was.

Between the mid-fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries, in fact, Racconigi became the first Savoy village to experiment with domestic silk weaving and the first to similarly develop an integrated silk industry. Specializing particularly in organzine spinning, the area experienced a gradual and simultaneous expansion of mulberry cultivation, which until a few decades ago still graced the surrounding countryside. A journey into the true essence of the city, in short, for a complete and enriching visiting experience.

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Journal and insights on the project
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A continuous dialogue between art and nature, where the arrangement of the flowerbeds ideally refers to the frescoes of the “Hall of the Gods,” a marvelous pictorial cycle of Palazzo Taffini in whose courtyard precisely stands the Garden of the Senses. An intimate and cozy space reminiscent of the late Renaissance period, with the perfect overlap between ornamental, aromatic and officinal species. Shapes, colors and fragrances that intertwine in a kaleidoscopic vortex that changes with the passing of the seasons, revolving around the fountain with water and perfume games and the fascinating contemporary art installation “The Painter’s Palette” by Franz Staelher. An ever-changing garden for a multi-sensory journey, an ideal preamble to a visit to the adjacent MÙSES, European Academy of Essences.

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Muses Botanical Fact Sheets – Part 1
Muses Botanical Fact Sheets – Part 2
Table Garden Introduction
Table Main Essences
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