Press releases
Orticolario 2026
How to participate
Applications are now open for the International Competition “Creative Spaces”, focused on the design and realization of themed gardens and installations for Orticolario 2026, from October 1st to 4th at Villa Erba, Lake Como. The open calls for art and design installations, sales spaces, and the cultural program are also launched.
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.
Page currently under construction.
Cernobbio (CO), December 18th, 2025 – The creative energy of Orticolario never rests. The organizing team is already at work for 2026. From October 1st to 4th, at Villa Erba in Cernobbio, on the shores of Lake Como, the cultural event that turns nature into art, a lifestyle, and a shared language returns.
INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION “CREATIVE SPACES”
Open to designers, garden designers, landscape architects, and gardeners, the competition concerns the design and creation of gardens and installations inspired by the annual theme. Selected projects will be set up in the historic park of Villa Erba during the sixteenth edition of Orticolario. A dedicated committee will evaluate proposals for original, livable, and accessible spaces that meet Orticolario’s aesthetic and technical criteria. Each project must represent a journey in which technique becomes a message capable of communicating with, respecting, and enhancing the surrounding space. The selected projects will then be assessed by an international jury. The winner (in 2025, “Uno scrigno di natura rigenerante” — “A casket of regenerating nature” by Flavio Miretti, Brigitta Balestri, and Matilde Tonelli, from Miretti Giardini) will receive the “Foglia d’oro del Lago di Como” Award, created exclusively by the historic Archimede Seguso Artistic Glassworks of Murano (Venice). The award is unique and remains in the winner’s custody for a limited time before being displayed at Villa Carlotta, in Tremezzo on Lake Como, until the next edition of Orticolario. The names of all winners are recorded in the Golden Register, exhibited next to the prize.
The winner will also have the opportunity to propose up to two projects for the central pavilion at Orticolario 2027.
Participation in the competition is free of charge, and applications must be submitted in writing by January 30th, 2026.
All information and participation details are available at orticolario.it.
https://www.orticolario.it/en/international-creative-spaces-competition/
OPEN CALL FOR ART AND DESIGN INSTALLATIONS
This selection seeks innovative projects and spaces that celebrate the relationship between art, design, and nature. It is open to artists, designers, and creatives. The selected projects will be temporarily installed in the park of Villa Erba during Orticolario 2026 and judged by a dedicated jury.
Applications are open until January 30th, 2026.
Full details and guidelines are available at orticolario.it.
https://www.orticolario.it/en/art-design-projects/
OPEN CALL FOR SALES SPACES
Intended for nurserymen, artisans, and retailers, this open call aims to select exhibitors based on product and display quality. Sales spaces are available outdoors (modules of 25 sqm) and indoors (modules of 10.5 or 21 sqm). Exhibitors are also evaluated by a specific jury that assigns awards and mentions. Participation fees vary depending on the size, location, and product category of the assigned area.
Applications may be submitted to the committee by June 2026.
For more information, visit orticolario.it. https://www.orticolario.it/en/sales-spaces/
OPEN CALL FOR THE CULTURAL PROGRAM
The event program includes interactive workshops, experiential activities, conferences, and presentations, taking place both in the park and inside the Exhibition Center of Villa Erba.
Important note: events with purely marketing purposes will not be accepted — every event must hold significant cultural value.
Applications are open until January 31st, 2026.
All details and participation methods can be found at orticolario.it. https://www.orticolario.it/en/events-program/
Ortiolario 2025 / The coordinates ( pdf )