The ‘Italy of Gardens’ project was presented at the Ministry of Culture with data from the NRPR on the investment ‘Programs to enhance the identity of places: historic parks and gardens’ and the seventh edition of the ‘Rendezvous in the Garden’ event.

“Pnrr Culture has planned an investment of 300 million to regenerate historic parks and gardens,” comments Mario Turetta, secretary general of the Ministry of Culture, “as poles of public beauty and identity places for urban communities.

By June 2026, the investment will be 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 (94 construction sites have already been started); restoration and enhancement of 5 important historic parks identified by the ministry for 100 million; census of more than 5 thousand parks and gardens – public and private – and training (‘Beyond the Garden’ with the participation of the regions, 32 universities and more than 250 companies involved) of 1260 art gardeners and specific personnel for 10 million euros.

“With the support of Pnrr we will be able to achieve even more goals,” stresses Ludovico Ortona, president of the Parks and Gardens Association of Italy. “It is a great satisfaction for the association’s achievements in the classification of gardens and tourism promotion.

The ministry also promoted, with the National Association of Italian Municipalities, the seventh edition of ‘Appointment in the Garden,’ scheduled for June 1 and 2 in more than 200 parks and gardens throughout Italy. “With its more than 300 events,” notes Alberta Campitelli, vice-president of the Parks and Gardens Association of Italy, “it is a well-established initiative in terms of appreciation and participation, also thanks to the awareness that gardens represent open-air museums for their priceless historical, botanical and landscape value.

“The public will have the opportunity to get to know and appreciate the beauty of the historical and artistic heritage of numerous gardens,” Ortona further says. “The theme of this year’s edition is ‘The Five Senses in the Garden,’ an opportunity to rediscover our cultural heritage through openings, guided tours and extraordinary activities in parks and gardens of Italy.”