Italian
A Sunday in the Park
MASTER. It often happens to be critical of the misuse of social media, but especially when it comes to cultural opportunities, Facebook and Instagram are megaphones for those events of which the press and the relevant bodies do not always know how to inform effectively.
This is the case of the magnificent International Sculpture Park of Banca Ifis, which is hosted within the over 22 hectares of gardens surrounding the sixteenth-century Villa Fürstenberg, the historical headquarters of the Group.
In this space, the often monumental works of great masters of contemporary sculpture, Italian and international, blend with the surrounding environment, creating a special place where nature and sculpture engage in a timeless embrace.
The park, curated by Cesare Biasini Selvaggi and Giulia Abate, was inaugurated in September 2023 during the celebrations for the 40th anniversary of the Bank’s activities.
A great Italian garden
Currently it hosts the works of: Fernando Botero, Annie Morris, Park Eun Sun, Igor Mitoraj, Manolo Valdés, Pablo Atchugarry, Pietro Consagra, Roberto Barni, Julio Larraz, Philip Colbert, Jaume Plensa, and Giuseppe Penone, as well as the permanent exhibit “Horse Power” by Nico Vascellari, previously displayed at the Lyon Biennale.
But there is not only an artistic path, but also a botanical one, so much so that this splendid garden is also listed among the Great Italian Gardens. It is no coincidence that it hosts the large lime tree, whose age is unknown, but where one can recognize in the bark the tree’s resistance to wind and time; the pond with aquatic plants, where in spring you can witness the blooming of the lotus flower and the small waterfall, adorned with classical columns.
The visit
The park can be visited for free every Sunday from March to November from 10am to 7pm, booking the visit on the official website.
Entrances are carefully restricted so that this place can allow you to enjoy the magic of nature and art combined together in a silence that sometimes seems surreal.
The park also offers workshops on diversity and themed treasure hunts about various artists.
The park is self-guided with a brochure or QR code that guides you to discover the artistic and botanical wonders present. This allows you to manage your own visiting time, being able to linger longer on the works or in the spaces that interest us the most, that interest us and excite us.
The ideal place experience
When the visit comes to an end and you approach the exit, the feeling is that of not wanting to leave, because it seems like you have experienced the ideal place experience, where humans live in harmony with nature and where silence gives room for reflection and human emotions.
Take advantage of visiting this exceptional place in this last month of November, before the winter closure. You will be amazed by the intense emotions you will be able to experience, which only places like this can evoke, known as locus amoenus*.
Photo credits: Banca Ifis
