The new Italian garden, Chianti
The new Italian garden: a delicate balance between memory, ecology, and the future.
In the heart of Chianti, between Siena and Florence, history permeates the air at Podere Casanuova di Sicelle. The intent was to integrate the villa into the landscape, respecting the environment while consciously facing water scarcity.
We listened to the land, shaping a resilient ecosystem where the use of biodegradable materials and gravel garden areas ensures impressive water savings.
An approach that unites Tuscan tradition with an ecological vision, where the past gently welcomes the needs of tomorrow.
Here, an idea is born that we love to define as “The new Italian garden”. It involves combining classic elegance with the complexity of ecology, bringing the study of natural interactions into the residential context.
Beyond formal design, we embrace a vision that reinterprets the Mediterranean garden. The designer’s role becomes that of a Planting Designer: one who, with deep respect, creates true plant communities. The intent is to rediscover an authentic connection with nature, offering not simple decorations, but living spaces capable of moving those who inhabit them.
The chosen method is “Mediterranean Mixed Planting”, inspired by natural rhythms. Each plant plays a precious role within the community. Ground-covering species like Thymus capitatus and Achillea crithmifolia embrace the soil, discretely protecting it from summer drought.
Beside them, the blooms of Poa cita and Perovskia ‘Blue Spire’ dance with the wind, marking the passing of seasons. Structure is entrusted to the nobility of Cistus and Phillyrea angustifolia: shrubs that, growing with patience, will define the permanent framework, offering the eye solid and reassuring volumes.
A subtle balance where every element collaborates in the life of the whole.
The different taxa evoke Mediterranean transition zones, where different biological forms coexist peacefully. Woody plants, light grasses, and geophytes blend into a picture that appears spontaneous, yet is born from careful study.
A garden that does not remain immutable, but matures with grace.
It is an invitation to resilience and beauty, designed to evolve and become, season after season, an authentic refuge for the soul and for biodiversity.
The work was published in:
– Phaidon Editors, with introduction by Guilfoyle, A., The Contemporary Garden, Phaidon, 2025
– Fedelfio, F., Giardini sostenibili. Progettare, realizzare e mantenere spazi verdi a basso consumo idrico, Gribaudo, 2025
– Gardenia, no. 497, September 2025.
