Three Sculpture Gardens in Tuscany, Italy

This month, Sculpture Nature invites you to discover three of the most famous Tuscan sculpture gardens: The Gori Collection (Collezione Gori), a private collection open to the public since 1982, the Bomarzo monster Park (Parco dei mostri di Bormazo), a mid-sixteenth century architectural fantasy of Prince Pier Francesco Orsini, and the Tarot Garden (Il Giardino dei Tarocchi), a creation by French artist Niki de Saint Phalle.
These three fascinating places originated from three different personalities: a collector, a prince and an artist.

Gori Collection at the Celle Farm (Santomato di Pistoia, Italy)

In June 1982, art collector Giuliano Gori opened part of his collection to the public by displaying sixteen works outdoors, in the 70-acre park of the Villa Celle (Santomato di Pistoia, Italy). From then on, many artists have been invited each year to create site-specific works which thus joined the permanent collection and found their place in the garden.
Alberto Burri’s sculpture, Grande ferro Celle, a monumental minio red steel structure, opens the show and presents the park’s sculptures. In 1990, Marta Pan installed a bright red aluminum floating sculpture close to the lake. In 1992, Beverly Pepper created a sculpture meant to become a theater during the summer: Spazio teatro Cell: Omaggio a Pietro Porcinai. In 1997, Jaume Plensa creates Gemelli, a structure made of glass bricks installed in the olive tree area, a sort of « glass chamber ». Each year, one or several site-specific artworks are added to the collection.

In 2012, the Gori Collection celebrated its 30-year anniversary with nearly sixty pieces, sculptures and outdoor installations.

Il parco dei mostri di Bomarzo (Viterbe, Italy)

You entering here, have the spirit to tell me if so many wonders were created to deceive or just for art. ¹

The Bomarzo monster Park (Viterbo, Italy) was created by architect Pirro Logorio upon request from Prince Pier Francesco Orsini also called Vicino (1523-1585), who, after failing a military career, had decided to settle down in Bomarzo with his wife Giulia Farnese. After her death in 1560, « sol per sfogare il core » (« just to soothe the heart »), he started studying the classical literature to find his inspiration and create his own park, his « villa of wonders », with the aim of creating something unique in the world. With blocks of peperino, a grey or brown volcanic rock extremely common in the region, he requested gigantic animals, sirens, goddesses and heroes, a Venus, a Pegasus, sphinxes… A total of about thirty sculptures and structures inspired by Greek mythology and Italian Renaissance inhabit the park.
At the top of the garden, the mausoleum dedicated to his beloved Giulia, The Temple of Eternity, dominates the park. Left abandonned for a long time, the property was purchased in 1954 by Giovanni Bettini and his wife, Tina Severi. The restoration of the gardens followed.
Since then, the Park of the monsters has inspired many artists and most particularly Niki de Saint Phalle for her Tarot Garden in Capalbio, also in Tuscany.

¹ Inscribed in the garden. Original sentence: Tu ch’entri qua con mente parte a parte et dimmi poi se tante meraviglie sien fatte per inganno o pur per arte.

Il Giardino dei Tarocchi (Pescia Fiorentina, Grosseto, Italy)

The Tarot Garden isn’t just my garden. It also belongs to all the people who helped me create it. I am the Architect of this garden. I imposed my vision because I could not do it
any other way. This Garden was made with difficulty, with love, with
wild enthusiasm, with obsession, and most of all with a lot of faith.
Nothing could have stopped me. Like in all fables, before finding the treasure, I encountered on my path dragons, witches, wizards, and the Angel of Temperance.
Niki de Saint Phalle.

Fragments, reflections, mosaics, colors, sinuous curves, hearts, eyes, hands, skulls, exaggerated proportions: Niki de Saint Phalle’s magnus opus is an explosion of life. Started at the end of the 1970s and finished in 2002, the year of her death, the park is inspired by tarot symbols, their mystical meanings and their energies.

Fattoria di Celle : Collezione Gori
Via Montalese, 7
51030 Santomato (Pistoia)
Italy
tel. +39 0573 47 99 07 (lun – ven, 9h – 12h)
e-mail : info@goricoll.it
Registration mandatory, at least 3 weeks in advance. Expect 4h30 / 5h walk.
goricoll.it (lien vers > http://www.goricoll.it/)

Il parco dei mostri di Bomarzo
Loc. Giardino
01020 Bomarzo, Viterbo
Italy

The park is open all-year-long
8:30 AM – 7 PM from  04/01 to 10/31
8:30 AM – sunset from 11/01 to 03/31
tel +39 0761 92 40 29
e-mail : info@parcodeimostri.com
sacrobosco.it (lien vers http://www.sacrobosco.it/)

Il giardino dei tarocchi
Pescia Fiorentina
Capalbio
58100 Grosseto
Italy
tel. +39 0564 89 51 22
e-mail : tarotg@tin.it
ilgiardinodeitarocchi.it (lien vers > http://ilgiardinodeitarocchi.it/fr/)