Italy: Secret Gardena to be opened this weekend

Rome: Italy will open more than 200 normally-closed parks and gardens from 27-28 June.

Italy celebrates its “green heritage” this weekend with a special outdoor edition of the bi-annual open day event organised by the Fondo Ambiente Italiano (FAI).

Similar to Britain’s National Trust, FAI maintains and preserves Italy’s cultural heritage sites, from palaces and castles to abbeys and libraries.

FAI normally holds its spring open days – known as the Giornate Primavera – in late March, however the 2020 event was cancelled due to the covid-19 emergency.

Over the weekend of 27-28 June, the trust will celebrate the “culture of nature” by opening up more than 200 special green sites across Italy.

The participating venues, which are usually off-limits to the public, include secret gardens, parks, olive groves, nature reserves and woodlands.
The idea of the open-air visits, which will be held in limited numbers and with staggered entry times, is to minimise the risk of coronavirus infection.

FAI requests minimum contributions of €3 for members and €5 for non-members to help support the trust which says it is in economic difficulty after almost three months of closed sites due to Italy’s covid-19 lockdown.

Tours must be booked in advance, with reservations open until Friday 26 June via the FAI website which also includes a complete list of the participating sites.