FIFTH EDITION OF THE RADICEPURA GARDEN FESTIVAL PRESENTED UNDER THE THEME “CHAOS (AND) ORDER IN THE GARDEN,” TAKING PLACE IN GIARRE FROM MAY 17 TO DECEMBER 7, 2025

ELENA GRANDI, MARIO FARO, ANTONIO PERAZZI, EMANUELA ROSA-CLOT, MANLIO SPECIALE, VALENTINA UGO, AND SIMONETTA ZANON TOOK PART IN THE EVENT

Milan, March 27, 2025 – Today, March 27, the Radicepura Foundation presented the fifth edition of the Radicepura Garden Festival at the Brera Botanical Garden. This biennial event celebrating the Mediterranean garden will take place in Giarre from May 17 to December 7, 2025. Visitors to the Radicepura Botanical Park will have the opportunity to explore 10 temporary gardens and 7 permanent gardens, created using plants provided by Piante Faro. The nursery, which houses 800 species and over 5,000 varieties, is one of the most innovative and dynamic entities in the region, thanks to the work carried out for over 50 years by Venerando Faro, together with his sons Mario and Michele.

During the presentation, Mario Faro, General Director of the Radicepura Garden Festival, introduced the upcoming edition, which promises a high level of participation and a series of events centered on landscape design, a distinctive feature of the biennial. “This is a significant edition because it marks ten years of work that have allowed us to achieve a very high standard in project selection—out of 1,100 applications from over 60 countries, we chose only 10. The festival has grown, attracting 50,000 visitors and 8,000 students in its last edition, rewarding our efforts and emphasizing the theme of living with nature—an increasingly relevant and central topic in contemporary culture. This has also made our work as nurserymen more accessible and understandable.”

As part of this initiative, Elena Grandi, Milan’s Councillor for Environment and Green Spaces, announced today the donation of one of the festival’s gardens to the City of Milan. “I am delighted to present, together with all of you, the fifth edition of the Radicepura Garden Festival: an event capable of raising public awareness on themes that blend nature, beauty, and art. This festival keeps the spotlight on the environment, biodiversity, and the crucial role of gardens—not just as decorative elements, but as essential green infrastructures for cities and urban areas,” said Councillor Grandi. “For this reason, I am grateful for the future donation of one of these wonderful gardens to our Milan. This project will enhance one of our green spaces and create a symbolic connection between Milan and Giarre.”

Additionally, the event included the presentation of the book Il Giardino delle Piante, providing an opportunity for discussion with some of the leading figures in Italian landscape culture, such as Manlio Speciale, botanist, Valentina Ugo of BAM – Biblioteca degli Alberi di Milano, and Simonetta Zanon of Fondazione Benetton. “I have followed the Radicepura Garden Festival since its first edition and have seen the botanical park transform over the years into a ‘garden of gardens,’ a collection of living works of art. It has also become an important observatory on Mediterranean climate plants and their ability to adapt to climate change,” commented Emanuela Rosa-Clot, director of Gardenia, at the end of the presentation.