Press releases
Orticolario 2025
THE SEVEN FINALISTS OF THE INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION “CREATIVE SPACES”
The autumn event dedicated to those who embrace nature as a lifestyle has once again proven to be a highly appreciated experience by the public. The participation in the numerous cultural events was significant, with the agora in the Central Pavilion was crowded with people for the many sold-out meetings and workshops, even before they began.
The air is immense
The sky upside-down, brimming with light
Eyes of humans and beasts;
The body of the blue, nearly black
The matter purely whole.
Forms, contours, sounds, and scent
Unheard-of and perfect.
Morning roars and shines
Untouched beginnings,
Dawn aches with tenderness.
When enormous, vertical noon rises
It does so effortlessly,
Even though it is full of gentle puffs.
Three is the hour
Of spirit, of rest, of joy,
Of uncertainty and strength.
Then the slow sunset of wonders
Spreads its velvety rays under the steps of beasts
And no heart can resist such bliss.
And the night comes, with her long hair,
With wolf-like steps, silencing the trees;
And when the night is unified, it burns with glimmers,
Poised in a deep shimmer,
It sleeps a whispering slumber.
[…]
*Excerpt from Le paradis perdu* by Pierre Jean-Jouve, Paris, Editions Grasset, 1929, republished 1966.
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Cernobbio (CO), April 23, 2025 – Eden as a primordial dimension, suspended in time. Eden as a model of a wild garden, rich in biodiversity, where sublime meets wonder. Eden is the theme that inspires the fifteenth edition of Orticolario, the international event dedicated to nature lovers, returning from October 2nd to 5th in the magnificent setting of Villa Erba on Lake Como.
This is the concept that participants of the International Competition Creative Spaces worked on, presenting design proposals for the park of Villa Erba. Among the many submissions from architects, designers, landscape architects, gardeners, and nurserymen from around the world, the selection committee has chosen seven finalists, whose projects will be brought to life in the historic park during Orticolario 2025.
“What is a creative space? A creative space is born to celebrate a renewed relationship between humans and nature. It is not just a garden in the traditional sense — it’s a place where something happens. A creative space communicates, often teaches, and sometimes amazes. It explores a concept and offers an unexpected interpretation,” said Moritz Mantero, President of Orticolario.
“A creative space has all the elements of a garden — from the idea, to the design, to its realization — but holds within it a deeper meaning, a message. It does not exist just to convey beauty, but rather as a story born among the leaves, in the spirit of a broader concept: that of Avant gardening.”
Judged for their creative flair in interpreting an ancestral and untamed space, the projects highlight the ability to transcend the common idea of perfection in favor of a natural force that astonishes, enchants, and seduces. Thus, original and innovative spaces come to life — livable and accessible — capable of shaping a different kind of landscape experience.
“With the theme chosen for this edition of Orticolario, we wanted to invite designers to embrace the untouched and to discover beauty beyond human imagination, in its original form. By thinking of the garden as a sublime, glorious, and vulnerable place, we expect Creative Spaces that celebrate the ancient bond between humans and nature, capable of evoking wonder while enhancing the cultural heritage of the territory,” stated the selection committee of Orticolario’s Creative Spaces International Competition.
Orticolario 2025 / The seven finalists of the International Competition Creative Spaces ( pdf )
