Forum of Historic Gardens and Botanical Gardens

On Friday, October 9th and Saturday, October 10th, the city of Verbania on Lake Maggiore will host-at the Botanical Gardens of Villa Taranto and Villa Giulia-the second edition of the Forum of Historic Gardens and Botanical Gardens, this year dedicated to the theme ''The Challenges of Global Change.'' The event is part of the ARTEMISIA Art and Gardens event. The initiative was created to bring together the expertise of institutions and professionals called upon today to address the major challenges of global change.

The debate will focus on concrete solutions to address water stress, extreme weather events, and emerging plant diseases, while also addressing sustainable management, cultural tourism, and specialized gardener training through the transmission of traditional skills. The program includes an opening session, a feedback session, and four thematic sessions, supported by a call for short talks, aimed at sharing case studies and best practices applicable to different contexts in Italy. At the end of the initiative, the presentations will be collected in a scientific publication edited by the Scientific Committee as part of the ARTEMISIA series (Edizioni Unicopli).

The Forum is aimed at directors, curators, agronomists, foresters, architects, landscape architects, technicians, universities, and public administrations. Accreditation for the issuance of professional training credits (CFP) is also being finalized.

Sponsored by: Grandi Giardini Italiani, City of Verbania, Villa Taranto Foundation, Botanical Garden of the University of Pavia (SMA), UPONTOURISM (UPO), and ARS.UNI.VCO ETS.

Sponsors: Italian Botanical Society, Order of Agronomists and Foresters of Piedmont, Touring Club Italiano, Italian Geographic Society, and Fondazione Minoprio ITS Academy.

PROGRAM
Friday, October 9

• 11:00 - 13:00 | Introduction to the relevant topics
  Moderator: Andrea Cottini, Director of the Villa Taranto Botanical Gardens Foundation
  Institutional greetings, overview of the theme, the purpose of the Forum, the sessions, and the main shared challenges
  
  
• 14:30 - 15:45 | Session 1 - Climate change and adaptation to water stress
  Moderator: Prof. Marco Devecchi, DISAFA - University of Turin
  4 short talks on the topics of Session 1 (call for contributions), each lasting 15 minutes, including a maximum of 10 minutes for presentations and 5 minutes for questions
  
  
• 16:15 - 17:30 | Session 2 - Management, Valorization, and Sustainability
  Moderator: Matteo Montebelli, Head of Research and Publications, Touring Club Italiano
  4 short talks on topics from Session 2 (call for contributions), each lasting 15 minutes, including a maximum of 10 minutes for presentations and 5 minutes for questions

Saturday, October 10

• 9:15 - 10:30 | Session 3 - Biodiversity, Collections, and Conservation
  4 short talks on topics from Session 3 (call for contributions), each lasting 15 minutes, including a maximum of 10 minutes for presentations and 5 minutes for questions
  
  Coffee break (included in the participation fee)
  
  
• 11:00 - 12:30 | Session 4 - Gardener Training and Skills Transfer
  Moderator: Elias Bordoli, President of the Minoprio ITS Academy Foundation
  Four short talks on Session 4 topics (call for contributions), each lasting 15 minutes, including a maximum of 10 minutes for presentations and 5 minutes for questions.
  
  
• 12:30 - 1:15 PM | Conclusions and Closing
  Moderator: Andrea Cottini, Director of the Villa Taranto Botanical Gardens Foundation
  Reporting of the emerging themes and possible follow-up discussions by the session moderators.
  
  Followed by: guided tour of the Villa Taranto Botanical Gardens and convivial closing (included in the participation fee).

The program is subject to change.

Registration required. Click here to register.

The Forum is sponsored by Grandi Giardini Italiani.