New training courses for art gardeners, for the creation of professionals capable of intervening in public and private historical parks and gardens, for care, maintenance and restoration.
The Emilia-Romagna Region has taken up the solicitation offered by the Ministry of Culture which has paid attention to the recovery and enhancement of historic gardens. The Ministry's investment has provided resources for both restoration and enhancement of historic parks and gardens (available nationally 190 million euros) and for training of art gardeners (10 million euros).
For the training of gardeners, the Emilia-Romagna Region has undertaken, together with 12 other regions, to plan a training offer and sign an agreement with the Ministry on specific competences and responsibilities in implementation.
The resources available for Emilia-Romagna are 601,400 euros which will allow to qualify 97 art gardeners for historic gardens and parks in two training years, 2022-23 and 2023-24. An investment necessary to ensure the availability on the regional territory of skills and professionalism that will be able to guarantee an adequate level of care and maintenance of gardens of cultural interest, also in view of their growing cultural and tourist use, contributing to the creation of new qualified employment. The courses will last 600 hours and will also develop through practical learning.
Professional training bodies accredited in partnership with companies in the sector and in the supply chain and important historical gardens, i.e. belonging to the Ministry of Culture, Local Bodies, Foundations or Historic houses, which guarantee the availability of spaces, places and contexts for the realization of practical activities. Furthermore, the collaboration with the Technical and Professional institutes and with the Universities will be the qualifying elements in the evaluation.
As regards the financing of restoration and enhancement interventions, the call from the Ministry of Cultural Heritage is aimed at the owners, possessors or holders in any capacity - public or private - of parks and gardens of cultural interest, in support of restoration projects. , extraordinary maintenance, conservation, safety and enhancement of parks and gardens of cultural, artistic, historical, botanical and landscape interest protected by the Code of Cultural Heritage and Landscape.
In Emilia-Romagna the response was massive, with as many as 100 projects presented, 9 of which passed the selection for a total of almost 13 million investments for restoration and cultural enhancement works.
The interested gardens are: Botanical Garden of Parma, Romantic Park of the Magnani-Rocca Foundation, Park and gardens of the Tabiano Castle, Parco della Chiusa in the Municipality of Casalecchio di Reno (Bo), Ducal Park of Sassuolo, Botanical Garden of the University of Modena and Reggio-Emilia, the Italian garden of Villa Zambeccari (Villa Spada in Bologna), Park of Villa Meli Lupi in Vigatto, Garden of the Castle of Bianello.