Pietro Porcinai e l’arte del paesaggio
Gli esordi e i lavori nella provincia aretina

by G. Carapelli, M. Donati

What is the secret of a beautiful garden? “It will not do to plant a few trees here and there”, for “a mere collection of plants does not amount to a garden”.

That much was clear to the young Pietro Porcinai, garden and landscape architect famous for his extraordinary attention to detail. He would remain true to the guideline he had formulated for himself all his life: his public gardens, landscape ‘inventions’ and restoration work all bear the stamp of the accomplished ‘landscape gardener’, his creations hailed by his employers (whether they be local councils or private customers) as true gardens of Eden.

Richly illustrated and with a preface by Carla Corsi of the Architecture and Landscape Office of Arezzo, this books describes the projects developed and carried out by Porcinai in the province of Arezzo. Thorough investigation of unpublished material in Porcinai’s private archive and in the archives of the Soprintendenza di Arezzo (responsible for the restoration of the architect’s original papers) affords a unique perspective on Porcinai’s work (especially his early projects). Much attention is also devoted to Porcinai’s writings, in which, besides promoting his ideas, he repeatedly addressed the issue of the garden architect’s role in the development of architectural projects: the garden architect, he argued, should not be regarded as a mere gardener or plant-supplier (a view that was common during most of Porcinai’s lifetime, especially in Italy), but should instead be recognized as a truly professional figure, with knowledge, talents and responsibilities on a par with ‘traditional’ architects and botanists.

The section “Le piante per i giardini dell’Aretino” includes a complete list of the plants used in (or suggested for) the gardens planned by Porcinai in the Arezzo province. A document section containing unpublished and hard to find writings and an up-to-date bibliography are also included.