Giardino di Piuca is a research laboratory dedicated to the rural landscape that characterizes the Chianti region. Landscape architect Antonio Perazzi has worked on the garden for many years, seeking to restore the ancient relationship between humans and the landscape, once a source of daily wellbeing for communities rooted in a resilient rural economy and sustained by continuous, careful land management.
The property includes several historic paths and routes that still connect it to Valdarno, Monte San Michele, and the Chianti Senese through the Lamole area in Greve in Chianti.
Giardino di Piuca lies within the UNESCO-designated Chianti Fiorentino landscape and is perfectly integrated into the terraced terrain of Lamole. Due to the morphology of the land and the presence of traditional terraces, maintenance can be described as “heroic,” as mechanized methods are not feasible and work must be carried out entirely by hand.
The crops are mostly small-scale, cultivated in fields of varying sizes clinging to the hillsides, arranged in a system of small terraces and water collection channels and drainage systems supported by traditional dry-stone walls, which ensure the natural self-regulation of rainwater drainage, often characterized by storm-like or torrential patterns
The Giardino di Piuca falls within the Mediterranean climatic zone, which encompasses a diverse corridor including the regions of the Mediterranean Sea, the Middle East, northern Iran, certain Indo-Caucasian regions, parts of the Himalayan states, California, Yunnan in southern China, and Mexico.
Research at the Giardino di Piuca is carried out through study and experimentation, focusing on the acclimatization and naturalization of vegetation from this broad climatic zone within the territory of Chianti Fiorentino.
The project implemented through funding from the PNRR call [M1.C3 – Measure 2 “Regeneration of small cultural sites, cultural, religious and rural heritage” – Investment 2.2] made it possible to restore and rehabilitate the terraced agricultural system of the historic rural landscape of Lamole and its surrounding areas, where it had been damaged or destroyed due to lack of maintenance, weather conditions, or wildlife.
The restoration also involved two water collection basins and several ancient borri (small rural water channels). These primitive channels host various communities of endemic amphibians, some of which are at risk of extinction in the Chianti hills, including the Italian stream frog, common toad, fire salamander, spectacled salamander, and crested newt, all of which the project aims to preserve and support.
We also reactivated the original paths of the garden to make the visit accessible for visitors and created a small museum for didactic activities and/or to introduce to the visit, territory, biodiversity and flora and fauna of the garden.
All the renovations held on ancient brooks, water stock basin, and dry stone walls, allows this territory to fight against the growing erosive conditions determined by the intense meteorological phenomenon associated to climate change.
This project is funded through a public call for proposals for the restoration and enhancement of rural architectural and landscape heritage, under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) [M1.C3 – Measure 2 “Regeneration of small cultural sites, cultural, religious and rural heritage” – Investment 2.2], financed by the European Union – NextGenerationEU, managed by the Ministry of Culture, with the Tuscany Region acting as Implementing Body.
