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Ermanno Casasco - Landascape Designer
LLL
Villa’s entrance, Cennet Koyu, Bodrum, Turkey
Ermanno Casasco
“Of a Wandering Gardener”
by Giorgia Mauri
photos from Ermanno Casasco’s archive
LLL
Of a Wandering Gardener is the new book by Ermanno Casasco, edited
by Maestri di Giardino Editori. Inclined to the captivating anecdote as
little as to the solemn existential reflection, Ermanno Casasco’s book
runs through its inevitable kaleidoscope of people, landscapes, gardens,
sometimes in the synthesis of a seemingly rapid but never distracted
glance. A voyage through a journey, divided in three sections, and led by
an “I” within an infinite present in which one can continuously discover,
try, plan and work, where everything is always new and there is no time
to allow oneself to be moved. At least in writing. Because the Wanderer
knows exactly when it is necessary to stop, suddenly, highlighting the
turning points, the lessons learned and those given, the challenges
to oneself upped to the limit with the excuse of a craft employed to
continually push back its own frontiers. Here too, as in other celebrated
“green” autobiographies, along with the plants and the garden you can
see the world. And you see it as it really is.
Ermanno Casasco has always worked on assignment (never chasing
tenders or competitions) designing and creating real works of landscape
(not only parks or gardens but also large estates that he has restored)
in Italy, Switzerland, France, Morocco, the United States, the Caribbean,
Australia, Polynesia, Russia, Turkey and Kurdistan.
He was born in the Parma Apennines. Educated in England and in
California, he graduated with a degree in Industrial Chemistry. In 1977
he began working as a gardener, and in 1979 he attended a fouryear course in Landscape Design at the Merritt College in Oakland,
California, US. Since 1994, he has been the Professor of garden design
at the Agricultural School of Parco di Monza; green design teacher
at the School of Castello Sforzesco in Milan and gives seminars at the
Accademia di Brera in Milan.
Ermanno Casasco
In 2011, 23 founders decided to connect their skills and experience in gardening giving birth to Maestri di
Giardino, which means “masters of gardens”, contributing to raise and spread the art of landscape design.
Maestri di Giardino is a group of italian gardeners whose worldwide experience is at the service of private
or public. Journalists, cultural promoters, architects, pr and experts in the field work with them focused on the
association’s goal. Maestri di Giardino is also editor about gardening and landscape design. It has already
edited many books and Of a Wandering Gardener by Ermanno Casasco, preface by Arnaldo Pomodoro,
is having big success.
www.maestridigiardino.com
Garden, Cennet Koyu, Bodrum, Turkey
LLL
Villa’s terrace, Cennet Koyu, Bodrum, Turkey
“A garden must be beautiful all the time. It sounds odd, but, in spite of having created gardens the
world over, I still haven’t thought about the garden of my life. Perhaps because every time I start a
new garden I’m bursting with enthusiasm for that one, and each time it seems the best. I like making
gardens anywhere, I have no preferences because each place teaches me something new. The
Italian climate can vary enormously. In the south you can use large plants capable of creating
an “instant garden”. But nothing can compare to the beauty of northern gardens because their
foliage reveals and marks the seasons. My favorite plants are those which enhance the sense of
time passing in a garden: flowering plants, and leaves which change colour and fall revealing
harmonious forms. The garden must be beautiful the whole year round, not just in spring when the
roses, rhododendrons, geraniums or impatiens burst into bloom.
I like groups of shrubs at the edge
of a lawn, both the more tidy one
from
wilder
pittosporum to boxus, and the
ones. I
delight
in
vigorous-
growing flowering shrubs such as the
dogwoods, lagerstroemias, oleanders
and hydrangeas. This is what modern
Swimmingpool in the garden, Cennet Koyu, Bodrum, Turkey
gardens are about: they must be
designed with spaces and volumes
that create both a strong and an
ordered
impression.
Order
and
disorder: bushes and a lawn that looks
like a natural glade, an unrestricted
micro-landscape, easy to manage.
This is how I conceive a garden: order
and disorder.
Garden, Ayvalik, Turkey
If I had to say what my really favorite
plants are then I would choose olive
trees, oaks, beeches, cypresses and
palms. Among flowering plants I prefer
shrubs,
especially
cornus
floridas
because, like the whole family of
the viburnums, they are ornamental,
discreet and showy at the same time.
Negombo SPA Park, Ischia, Naples, Italy
LLL
For me, the olive tree is the emblem of the Mediterranean
garden which hasn’t just one face but thousands, of the
peoples and cultures that gave the Mediterranean its
history. “Mare nostrum” as the Romans called it, was a
melting place of civilizations from Asia, Africa and Europe,
and here, more than anywhere else, cultural exchanges
were constant and took root. In this bed of civilization the
Mediterranean garden was born and continues to evolve.
Garden of a rebuilt ex-monastery, Alibey, Turkey
Ermanno Casasco
Landscape Designer
Via Sambuco, 9 - Milan
ph. +39 02 83 21 347
studiocasasco@libero.it
www.ermannocasasco.com
Terrace in 5th Avenue, New York - photo by Laurent Benoit
Garden, Cennet Koyu, Bodrum, Turkey
LLL
Nanni Valentini’s sculpture, garden in Zeme Lomellina, Pavia, Italy
Terrace in 5th Avenue, New York - photo by Laurent Benoit
My work as a landscape designer has always been stimulated by this tradition and by the great challenge it
represents in the creation of gardens. This forty-year experience that has taken me along the ancient routes
but in the opposite direction: from northern Italy to the origins of history, to the Magna Grecia with the Sicilian
gardens, to the Arab world in Maghreb, to places under the modern crescent moon of Turkey, among the
skyscrapers of New York and the tropical climate of the Caribbean.
Terrace in 5th Avenue, New York - photo by Laurent Benoit
LLL
Therefore I never design a garden in abstract terms, for its own sake, but I elaborate it with reference
to the site and my own Mediterranean roots. This adaption to or acceptance of the place allows me
to maintain the harmony of the leaves and colours with the surrounding landscape, to balance it
with volumes and spaces. Moreover, I never create a self-contained garden but I seek to open it up
towards the landscape. And I insert the formal order of the Italian garden without making it rigid or
angular, to be in harmony with the ideas of the natural garden. This is way I feel about gardens, mixing
the farmer and the traveller that are in me.
“Moto terreno solare”, by Arnaldo Pomodoro, Simposio Minoa garden, Marsala, Italy
Garden-terrace, Crema, Italy
There are reasons of a structural nature relating to the construction of a garden that led me to make this
choice. A respect for the place itself first of all, and the knowledge that the intensity of light and the play
of shadows are fundamental for a garden.”
Negombo SPA Park, Ischia, Naples, Italy
Ermanno Casasco
LLL
Arnaldo Pomodoro, the most celebrated Italian sculptor in the world, has collaborated with Ermanno
Casasco in several works, creating some of the most beautiful and successful installations, where the
landscape project perfectly complements the sculpture.
“In 1990 - recalls the Maestro - Casasco asked me to plan a sculpture for the park that surrounds the
Simposio di Minoa, a large banqueting hall in Sicily near Marsala. From then on our collaborations have
brought about interesting and original solutions. At the Negombo spa Park on Ischia, for example, my
sculpture Arco-in-Cielo became the gateway that opens the way to the upper part of the park and
sketches a green-blue segment in the garden that adds its indecipherable messages to those deeper
ones of the plants and water. For the cellar I conceived for the Castelbuono Estate of the Lunelli family
at Bevagna, the impressive earthworks designed with the utmost care by Casasco created a new
proportional relationship between the spaces and volumes, enhancing the equilibrium and the harmony
of the architecture in the surrounding natural environment. Casasco has always managed to find the right
proportions between the size of the work, the vegetation and surrounding space, profoundly interpreting
the meaning of every single sculpture and making it possible for them to be read in full”.
“Arco in cielo”, by Arnaldo Pomodoro,
Negombo SPA Park, Ischia, Naples, Italy
Carapace by Arnaldo Pomodoro, landscape design by Ermanno Casasco,
Tenute Lunelli, Castelbuono Bavegna, Perugia, Italy - photo by Pietro Carrieri. Courtesy of Tenute Lunelli - Tenuta Castelbuono
LLL
Yamamoto Masao
“Small things in silence”
by Giorgia Mauri
KAWA=FLOW, #1614
LLL
Yamamoto Masao is one of the most important Japanese photographers.
Born in Aichi Prefecture, Japan in 1957. Studied painting before he
chose gelatin silver prints as his artistic medium. The first gallery show in
1994 at Shapiro Gallery, San Francisco and a solo exhibition at Yancey
Richardson Gallery, New York in 1996 led to many other gallery shows
in the U.S. Since 2006, he has been actively showing at galleries and
museums in Europe, Japan, Russia, and Brazil. Media coverage includes
NY Times and other major art magazines. Yamamoto lives in Yatsugatake
Nanroku, Yamanashi Prefecture where he enjoys creating his work while
being close to nature.
http://www.yamamotomasao.jp/
Yamamoto Masao
“Small Things in Silence”
I have been expressing myself through art for the past
When I look back upon my path, I realize that the
40 years.
one consistent motif in my work was my obsession
for small things. I feel joy when I discover seemingly
During these years I constantly asked myself:
insignificant things that may be easily overlooked. I
am interested in those awkward feelings – such as
What did I see? What did I not see?
when you miss a button hole or are stalled and lost in
a disorienting fog. I prefer whispering my messages
What did I say? What did I not say?
in a soft voice instead of speaking them out loud.
My messages may be so soft as to be mistaken for
My quest for answers to these questions led to my
illusions.
creations.
I know I will carry these feelings with me for a long
I was unsure about my niche in this universe, my
time.
“place” in this existence; and I needed to believe in
I hope that the faint waves that my work emits,
art in order to keep on living.
grow into quiet, yet eloquent messages that will be
reaching you.
On my journey of self-discovery, I stopped often and
made many detours. The works I “dropped” along the
way mark my footsteps - chaotic and inconsistent as
they might be.
Yamamoto Masao
Nakazora, #1073
LLL
KAWA=FLOW, #1591
KAWA=FLOW, #1613
LLL
Nakazora, #811
A box of Ku, #13
LLL
KAWA=FLOW, #1508
KAWA=FLOW, #1620
LLL
KAWA=FLOW, #1576
KAWA=FLOW, #1582
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KAWA=FLOW, #1595
“KAWA=Flow”
I enjoy watching transitions in nature.
Ryokan’s attention to the sound of the nature, and
Clouds in the sky are all different from each other. While
realization of how humans are but a part of nature,
watching the clouds, I realize I am seeing beyond the
made it possible for him to write this poem. I imagine
clouds. I may be focusing on the clouds, but my mind
how Ryokan led his life enriching, soothing, and
is immersed in something else.
purifying people’s mind.
There is a Haiku poem Ryokan (1758-1831), a Zen monk,
wrote. It goes like this:
“Active passiveness,” a teaching of Zen, influenced
me, too. It is necessary to acquire the sense of active
A Japanese maple leaf
passiveness to reach a steady mind and body. When
It turns to show its back
you achieve a calm feeling by finding yourself
It turns to show its front
integrated into nature, you will develop a respect and
Before it is time to fall
humbleness towards the whole universe. You will be
enveloped in a deep sensibility of the universe, and
This Haiku has made a great impact on me.
the earth you are placed on.
I believe Ryokan wrote about life through using the
This thinking is widely known in Budo (martial arts.) metaphor of falling leaves.
I try to sharpen my sensibility to reach this state of mind
Life is an accumulation of moments. There are
when I photograph.
moments when leaves show the sunny front, and there
are moments when they show the dark backside. But at the end, all leaves fall and decayed.
Recent major exhibitions:
2014 “Shizuka=Cleanse”, Craig Krull Gallery, L.A.
2013 “Narrow Road to the interior” contemporary Japanese artists, SMoCA, Scottsdale (U.S.)
“KAWA=FLOW” Städt. Galerie im Schloss, Isny Allgäu (Germany)
2012 “Shizuka=Cleanse” , Galeria Massimo Minini, Brescia (Italy)
“YAMAMOTO MASAO” , VALID FOTO GALLERY, Barcelona
2011 “YAMAMOTO MASAO” , GALERIA MARCELO GUANIERI, Sao Paulo
“KAWA=FLOW” , MIZUMA & ONE GALLERY (CAOCHANGDI PHOTOSPRING 2011), Beijing
2010 “KAWA=FLOW partⅡ” , Semina rerum, Zurich
“KAWA”, GALERIE CAMERA OBSCURA, Paris
“YAMAMOTO MASAO” , Robert Koch Gallery, San Francisco
2009 “KAWA=FLOW”, Photomonth in Krakow 2009, Krakow (Poland)
“KAWA=FLOW”, FORUM FOTOGRAFIE, Köln (Germany)
“KAWA=FLOW”, POBEDA GALLERY, Moscow (Russia)
Yamamoto Masao
LLL
Royal Hotel Sanremo
by Giorgia Mauri
LLL
Inaugurated in 1872, the Royal Hotel Sanremo, member of the prestigious company The Leading Hotels of the
World, is an exclusive 5-star hotel rich in history and tradition, just the ideal choice for guests seeking comfort,
relaxation and luxury: a perfect blend of refinement, warm hospitality and personalized service.
It enjoys a unique location in the heart of the charming Italian Riviera of Flowers with stunning views over the
Mediterranean Sea, just 45 minutes from Nice International Airport and 30 minutes from Monte-Carlo. Set in
its lush subtropical park of 16,000 sq m with an enchanting bloom and delicate scents in all seasons, it is only
moments from the sandy beach and the centre of town with its Casino and shopping area. It is also the perfect
gateway for excursions to the fascinating hinterland and the glamourous French Riviera.
Hall Royal Hotel
Ibiscus room
Banqueting
Palme meeting room
Stair
Bar delle Rose
It features 126 rooms and suites, spacious lobby with
panoramic view, piano bar, elegant smoking lounge,
children’s playroom and playgrounds with animation
programme in high season.
The top-rated cusine offers a choice of delicious and
creative regional, Mediterranean and international dishes
for a unique gourmet experience in the three Restaurants
with breathtaking views over the sea: Fiori di Murano, Il
Giardino on the terrace and Corallina by the pool.
With a choice of six versatile rooms all equipped with
modern technology, the hotel is also the ideal venue for
meetings, incentives, functions and banquetings with
tailor-made solutions to meet every client’s needs.
At disposal for a relaxing break, the scenographic heated
outdoor sea-water swimming-pool designed by Giò Ponti,
Swimming-pool
LLL
Restaurant
Breackfast
Breackfast terrace
Dinner restaurant
Romatic Gazebo
Departure
a sun terrace, a tennis court and a free use of a beach
at a lido opposite the hotel from June to September,
according to availability. The state-of-the-art Royal
Wellness boasts high-end treatments, massage, no
prescription wet zone with large hydromassage
pool, emotional showers, Turkish bath, Vitarium and
relaxation area, plus a fitness room and a hair stylist
to pamper yourself and discover a new dimension of
well-being.
Leisure opportunities and entertainments are also
available in the town and the surroundings.
Sport enthusiasts have the choice between the
horseback riding grounds 3 km away and the 18-hole
Circolo Golf Club degli Ulivi 5 km away, playable all
year round thanks to the mild climate, while the cycle
path and the water sports are within walking distance.
Garden
LLL
A unique setting combing relaxation, work, gastronomy,
wellness and the art of living for an unforgettable stay
and exclusive events.
Management members of TuttoArabi often choose
the Royal Hotel Sanremo for their stays to visit their
clients and to organize meetings thanks to the strategic
location close to the French Riviera, Monte-Carlo and
Milan which is only 250 km away.
Not enough? Sanremo is sunny, almost always!
SPA
Superior room
SPA
Suite 511
Fitness
Sissi suite bedroom
Corso Imperatrice 80
I-18038 Sanremo (Im)
Tel. +39 0184 5391 - Fax +39 0184 661445
reservations@royalhotelsanremo.com
www.royalhotelsanremo.com