The medieval-inspired garden of the Rocca di Angera

In the Middle Ages plants were an integral part of people’s lives: they were food, flavourings, medicines, fabrics, colours, soap and much more. And they also had a symbolic meaning associated with the spiritual life.

In the garden of the Rocca Borromeo the aim has been to recreate the environment that welcomed this complex and fascinating world at that time. By studying the texts and iconographies, we have been able to trace the names of the plants that were known and used at the time; these have been sought out and, where possible, recovered. Flowers that today seem too simple, that grow at the edges of roads, that are pulled up as weeds, are valued here and, if they do grow spontaneously, they retain their place of honour showing off their rediscovered beauty.

It is the rediscovery of the “original” plant, the one that is present in nature, that knows nothing of human intervention and the cultural contaminations typical of the centuries that followed. The garden follows the life cycles of plants and revives the naturalness of far-off times. In this way it is possible to admire the beautiful blossoms of the apple and almond trees in April, the flowers of the chicory in August and the mature leafless pumpkins in September.

Lettuces, cabbages, carrots, onions and chards grow in the Vegetable Garden. The pumpkin is the Lagenaria, the “bottle-shaped” one, the legumes are fava beans and chickpeas. A collection of aromatic herbs for seasoning enriches everything. In the Orchad apples and pears, figs and medlars.

In the Garden of the Princes, the only zone devoted solely to aesthetic enjoyment, a rose garden welcomes Rosa gallica officinale, also known as the Apothecary’s rose, and Rosa alba, white and red, which with their single flowerings testify to the traditions of the past. Also present in this zone are Rosa botanica and Damask rose, which resemble to their ancient cousins, but offer continuous, generous flowering to visitors during the entire summer season. Together with the roses there are various herbaceous flowers that have been handed down from the images of that time: Madonna Lily, Martagon Lily, Common Peony, Iris florentina (white), primroses and violets.

To guarantee a presence of colour in all the periods of the season, plants have been added that, even thought they produced flowers, had entirely different intended uses. Such as chicory, with its blue summer flowers; Saponaria, a delicate pale pink flower; Chervil, with its light white flowers; the poppy, in its many colours; Betony, with its sky blue ‘ears’.

Medicinal herbs, divided up into groups based on their curative functions and illustrated in detail by a signage system, fill the raised flowerbeds made of woven willow typical of the gardens of monks, in the Garden of small herbs Together with these, the dye-house plants, useful grasses (flax, hemp, Saponaria) and magical herbs.

In the grove, where hazels, laurels, cypresses and holm oaks create a fresh, cool atmosphere, a small brook flows into the pond where iris, buttercup, Myosotis and water mint bloom. Further along, a topiary yew tree with three overlapping disks dominates beneath the chestnut dome of the pergola, on which ancient varieties of grape climb and, with time, will provide a little shade in the sunnier months. Lawns left to grow uncut offer the image of wildness intended to be conveyed.

Until 1^st November, the seasonal closure of the Rocca di Angera, the atmosphere of the garden is rendered even more magical thanks to the “Fantastic Utopias” contemporary art exhibition being staged in the Ala Scaligera of the castle. The exhibition, curated by Ilaria Bonacossa and in collaboration with Galleria Continua, displays the works of 15 international artists who, in their difference, give rise to unexpected images and objects, both seductive and frightening at the same time, able to take us into alternative universes far removed from reality.  The exhibition came about based on the premise that in our post-real world, in which conflicts and political and environmental crises seem to follow each other in rapid succession, the fantastic and its representations have returned to being at the centre of contemporary reflections.  With the aim of escaping reality, we dream of being surrounded by magical creatures, we live thinking of monsters and battles amid dystopian worlds, as if the secularisation of society has led to the need to imagine ourselves in other worlds.

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• medieval garden