What is the last book you read? And what will be the next one?
Mario: ‘Plants of Armenia’. The next one will be: ‘Giardini in viaggio’ (Travelling gardens) by Laura Pirovano.
Matteo: ‘Teaming with microbes’. The next one will be ‘Rocce della Liguria’ (Rocks of Liguria).
Your next trip?
Mario: Socotra
Matteo: The gardens of the North of France
Favourite colour?
Mario: PANTONE 17-5641 TCX Emerald.
Matteo: I have no favourite colour but if we talk about plants, it is definitely green.
What is the plant that matters most to you?
Mario: The Xanthoceras in front of the stained glass window in the hall.
Matteo: Many of the plants in my garden are related to a person or a memory. I particularly care about a Pulmonaria collected in the last walks I took with my grandmother.
Where would you live?
Mario: Now here, then in a house by the sea, but half under the sea.
Matteo: I like secluded places, possibly among the nature of the pre-Alps.
What is your favourite historical era?
Mario: Before man.
Matteo: The roaring twenties.
Can you describe in short a scene that represents “beauty and elegance” for you?
Mario: A king cobra sinuously crawling between bamboos in search of the sun.
Matteo: The golden grasses of a mountain plateau moved by a light late summer wind.
What is a garden for you?
Mario: A garden is a cultural ecosystem touching music, art and philosophy.
Matteo: A garden is a refuge from time and space that we create for our well-being, so with my work I like to build places where people can feel good.
What is the fairy tale for you?
A means to remain children
