The new portal presents 200 gardens and 30 itineraries to guide visitors to an exquisite exploration of Italy
From villas to castles, from labyrinths to green oases reflected in lakes. The new portal ‘Garden Route Italia’ (GRI – gardenrouteitalia.it) presents all of this but also in-depth information on botanical species and Grand Tour-style itineraries. In total, it currently features over 200 gardens and 30 local and interregional itineraries across Italy. However, these numbers are destined to grow as more and more green jewels are added to the register. The project is a creation of the Association of Parks and Gardens of Italy (ASGI) in collaboration with Ales SpA and with the support of the Ministry for Cultural Heritage and Activities and Tourism.
‘Garden Route Italia’ presents in-depth information on botanical species and Grand Tour-style itineraries
GRI is a real travel guide for visitors that want to explore the fragile, and delicate, but fragrant and lush, the private and public green heritage of the “Garden of Europe.” Soon to be translated into English, it is an important opportunity to promote a kind of tourism that has gardens and parks at its center. Locations where art, nature, and landscape are the keywords. The website brings together and organizes the fragmented reality of the garden tourism sector, which has great growth potential. Indeed, the services and accessibility are very good. Over 2/3 of the parks are regularly open to the public, while only 1/3 opens by appointment or for events. Because it relates the services to the cultural offerings, GRI is suitable both for the general public as for enthusiasts. On each page, opened by a small introductory sentence, there are quality photos and in-depth descriptions. Moreover, visitors can find inspiration in the itineraries already created or independently design their own route through Italy’s greenery.
Ilona Catani Scarlett