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THE PATRIARCHS OF THE UNITY OF ITALY

The garden - a one of its kind - represents a small genetic bank where the DNA of some of the most rustic and longest-living trees in Italy is saved. This project was made possible thanks to the partnership between the “Soprintendenza Speciale per i Beni Archeologici di Roma” (the Special Authority for Rome’s Archaeological Assets), the regional agency “Arpae Emilia-Romagna”, the “Ministero dell’Ambiente e della Tutela del Territorio e del Mare” (the Ministry for Environment and Protection of Land and Sea), the association “Patriarchi della Natura in Italia” (Association of Nature Patriarchs in Italy), the committee “Comitato per la Bellezza” and the patronage of the Region Emilia-Romagna.

The project has been realised under the acceptance of the Italian President of the Republic and it was developed by Rita Paris (manager of the ancient Appian Way) along with her colleagues, as well as by Sergio Guidi (head of the Association of Nature Patriarchs in Italy) and Vittorio Emiliani (committee “Comitato per la Bellezza”).

This unique garden is located in 1092 Appia Nuova street, close to an ancient Roman villa known as “Villa dei Quintili”, which was erected 2000 years ago and represents one of the most magnificent villas in the Roman suburb. Here you can find the “twins” of the most important monumental trees for each Italian region (twenty on the whole).

The Association of Nature Patriarchs in Italy, founded in Emilia-Romagna and located in Forlì, has already carried out a census on the monumental trees (named as “Patriarchi”, that is to say “Patriarchs”) in the province of Rome, for a total amount of 600. The association has established a “nursery” containing scions from the trees previously registered in the census, some of them having died due to decrepitude. This genetic material was then used to create the garden.

The design phase started in 2012 thanks to the architect Massimo de Vico Fallani and was developed upon an idea brought forward by the Association of Nature Patriarchs which involved the creation of an Italy-shaped garden and containing the “twin” of the most important monumental tree for each region. The garden was inaugurated in 2013 and includes paths for walking divided by hedges made up of local shrubs such as: buckthorn, fragrant broom, sumac, sanguinello, alder buckthorn and others.