At Orticola 2024, the prestigious Orticola-iO Donna award was awarded to Silvia Arnaud Ricci, for her commitment to restoring important features of the landscape and historical heritage of Italy.

 

On the occasion of Orticola 2024, the famous three days dedicated to greenery held every year at the Indro Montanelli Gardens in Milan, creativity and beauty were rewarded.

And like every year for 12 years, the prize was awarded to a woman who stood out for her work in greenery. This year the prestigious Orticola - Io donna award was awarded to Silvia Arnaud Ricci, for her commitment to restoring and giving back to the community, with the Gardens of Villa Della Pergola and the Orto Rampante in Alassio, important features of the landscape heritage and historian of our country.

Silvia's Commitment - the story

The mind behind this grandiose project, which has led to the recovery and rebirth of this area of Alassio, has over the years been Silvia Arnaud Ricci, 69 years old, an art historian and gardener by passion. “It was our madness”, comments Silvia on the visionary idea shared with her husband Antonio Ricci. “Antonio also specializes in art history. We love our land".

This love, combined with an admirable spirit of patronage, inspired the rescue of Villa della Pergola in 2006.

“As an art historian, I have worked on the protection of cultural heritage - says Silvia Arnaud Ricci. For me they are important, they represent a heritage of all of us, to be shared. When we learned that this property would end up at auction and that there was a real risk that part of the green hill of Alassio would become the subject of real estate speculation, we decided to participate in the auction. We managed to snatch the lots for sale from important builder groups. Some thought we were crazy, others imagined we had some pharaonic project in mind. Instead we just wanted to send an important signal: it is possible to revive a property with great historical value by preserving, restoring and enhancing it.

We have rewritten the destiny of Villa della Pergola which has become a story of resistance and resilience, in which the genius loci and love for one's land have defeated concrete and destruction. As a family we are glad we did. We have saved a piece of the historical and cultural heritage of Alassio and the Ligurian Riviera."

“I confess that for a moment during the auction I had hoped that we wouldn't win, because I knew that an immense job awaited me - Silvia Arnaud Ricci continues -.

When we took possession of the property we started to explore, to look around: there were the Villas that needed major restoration and there was the Park, which, only mindful of the glories of a time that was told about, from afar it appeared like a large green spot. The situation was critical: we had to understand what was underneath that blanket of abandonment. We have begun a thorough cleaning of the Garden, of all 22 thousand square meters that make it up. For seven months we worked continuously and there were no shortage of surprises. Worrying and discouraging. But it was at that moment that we also began to imagine and dream of what it could have become."

Silvia Arnaud Ricci immediately availed herself of the collaboration of two dear friends: the architect Ettore Mocchetti, who oversaw the restoration of the buildings, and the landscape designer Paolo Pejrone, who took care of the gardens. “We started from Villa della Pergola, destined to become an accommodation facility and open to guests in 2010,” explains Silvia Arnaud Ricci. «In parallel with these works, in 2007 we started the restoration of the park, starting from the parts closest to the two buildings.

We worked for about six years. We opened the gardens to the public and returned them to the community on 5 May 2012 with an extraordinary opening in collaboration with the FAI. A memorable day with over 12 thousand visitors in a single day. The Park was alive again, ready to overcome the glories of the past, with the care, love and respect that a place like this deserved".

Today Villa della Pergola is unquestionably the pearl of Alassio. A 22 thousand square meter park that contains unique botanical collections, such as agapanthus and wisteria, and historic buildings. Villa della Pergola is set on a hill overlooking the gulf, which includes another 180 thousand square meters of terraced land, where the organic farm L'Orto Rampante is also located where Renzo Piano's project will be developed.

The Gardens of Villa della Pergola are an attraction that attracts gardening enthusiasts and the simply curious from all over the world. In 2022 they were awarded as "Most beautiful park in Italy".