Campania’s Historic Gardens: A Symposium at the University of Salerno

On May 23rd, the University of Salerno will host a day-long symposium, “Patience and Time,” focusing on the preservation and appreciation of Campania’s historic gardens. Organized by the Department of Cultural Heritage Sciences and the Laboratory of Philosophy and Image Languages, in collaboration with the Italian Parks and Gardens Association and the Anna De Sio Association, the event will explore the delicate balance between remembering these green spaces and facing their potential loss. Beginning at 9:30 AM on the Fisciano campus, the symposium will examine the interplay between memory and the possible disappearance of these invaluable landscapes. The evocative title, “Patience and Time,” draws inspiration from Rousseau’s *La Nouvelle Héloïse*, reflecting the cultivation of a garden as a process requiring both enduring patience and the passage of time. This temporal dimension encompasses the historical evolution of the gardens, with seasons altering their appearance and evoking both nostalgia and hope. The symposium will feature presentations by leading scholars, including philosophers Massimo Venturi Ferriolo and Enzo Cocco, architectural historians like Vincenzo Cazzato, landscape architects Mariella Zoppi and Maria Luisa Margiotta, and art historians such as Alberta Campitelli, all addressing the challenges of safeguarding and restoring these significant sites. As Jorn de Précy wisely observed, contemplating the future of gardens carries profound ethical weight, mirroring humanity’s fate, given the intrinsic link between gardens and humankind.