The Venice Gardens Foundation and IUAV University of Venice, have stipulated a protocol agreement whose objective is to promote research on topics related to landscape and gardens: planning, restoration, and ways of encouraging conservation, increasing appreciation, safeguarding nature and the environment in historic and contemporary gardens and sites of outstanding artistic, historic and environmental interest..
A cohesive system of workshops, seminars, study days, conferences, training sessions and exhibitions focusing attention on conditions in Venetian gardens will accompany courses and academic research, in cooperation with IUAV where courses on landscape and gardens are being offered in a three-year undergraduate degree program, as well as a master’s course, and a post-master’s degree in Landscape and Garden Architecture.
HERITAGE GARDENERS
In Italy a growing lack of gardeners specialized in the restoration and conservation of historic parks and gardens, archaeological areas and monumental tree plantings, is making it increasingly difficult to guarantee excellence in these sites, and is progressively and inexorably leading to the deterioration and loss of botanical and compositional complexity in many historic Italian gardens.
The Venice Gardens Foundation is therefore promoting a feasibility study on a three-year international school/university offering a program of advanced theoretical and practical studies in heritage gardening. Students would gain knowhow and practical expertise in the restoration, care, conservation and management of sites of historic, artistic and environmental interest, defined by the Code of the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage.
To make it possible to create this new professional specialization, the Foundation has begun a preliminary study, together with IUAV University of Venice, with which it has stipulated a collaboration agreement. Official recognition as a Scuola Speciale in fact allows IUAV to plan and introduce a new interdisciplinary course of studies, whose aim would be to identify and train “gardeners and curators of historic gardens” together with the Venice Gardens Foundation.