Proposal of Restoration of the Villa Scassi Garden
Proposal of Restoration of the Villa Scassi Garden
Past and present in the mirror
Design finished (june 2009)
To understand the beauty and the richness of this garden it is vital to comprehend the importance of the prestigious Villa Imperiale Scassi. In the fifteenth century Villa Scassi was one of the most illustrious villas in Genoa.
The villa laid under a breathtaking terraced garden. From the terrace on the first floor the view spaced across the garden, his terraces and his fountains placed on the prospective axis of the villa.
The fountains and the complex hydraulic system included, on the way down from the top of the property, caverns, small waterfalls and nymphaeums.
On the sides of the water path parterre, hedges and citrus groves were symmetrically placed showing during the different season his blossoming flowers and beautiful shapes.
Nowadays the edges of the garden have shrunk noticeably but in the past the property arrived all the way up the hill and to its side where there is another villa and right next to the hunting house.
The construction of the hospital and the growing tendency to discover new building grounds have strongly modified the layout of the garden.
Moreover the ancient baroque garden has been modified, demolishing ancient shrines, fountains and statues and has the new function of a suburban public park.
The project aims at reinstating what has been forgotten without ignoring the necessities of the community: a playground for kids and recreational areas for adults and elders.
The design intended to show the garden as it was 400 years ago without creating an historical fabrication in full respect of the 2000 ‘’Carta del restauro’’ (An Italian manual of restoration)
With this objective clear in mind the design intends to restore all the architectural elements in the garden using appropriate restoration techniques and avoiding the addition of new shapes. Crucial is the choice of vegetation kept as close as possible to the original one in order to recreate the previous authentic landscape.