Realizzazione di giardino pubblico

Loano's Secret Garden

Our project proposes the creation of a contemporary Mediterranean garden that engages in a dialogue with the history of Loano without attempting to replicate it. Located behind the town's ancient ramparts, this currently underused space possesses a remarkable quality: it is completely hidden from the public realm. This unique characteristic became the starting point of our design approach.

The garden is conceived as a place of discovery—a space that is not simply crossed, but gradually revealed. Inspired by the hidden gardens of historic Italian palaces, visitors leave the bustle of the city behind and enter a calm, intimate, and contemplative environment.

The site's single point of access naturally led to the organization of the project around a strong central axis that structures the entire composition. This perspective guides the visitor's gaze toward the end of the garden, where a symbolic tree marks the culmination of the journey. Along the way, visitors experience a sequence of spaces that alternate between open areas and narrower passages, creating a fluid, rhythmic, and intuitive promenade.

The project reinterprets the principles of traditional Italian gardens through a contemporary landscape language. The composition is centered on a broad mineral pathway finished with light-colored gravel, leading to a central plaza that serves as the heart of the garden. At its center, a reflecting pool animated by discreet fountains introduces movement, freshness, and serenity while reflecting the surrounding vegetation and the changing sky. Carefully aligned planting beds emphasize the main perspectives and reinforce the clarity of the spatial organization, while Mediterranean planting provides seasonal color and texture throughout the visitor's journey.

The historic rampart is the site's most significant heritage element. Rather than concealing it, the project celebrates and enhances it, transforming the wall into a true landscape backdrop. Subtle uplighting installed along its base reveals the texture, thickness, and traces of time embedded in the masonry, allowing the wall to become the central feature of the garden experience, both during the day and at night.

To strengthen the sense of mystery and exploration, the garden unfolds through a series of discoveries. Small secondary paths invite visitors to leave the main axis and wander into more intimate spaces. These discreet passages evoke the arcades, inner courtyards, and hidden gardens of Ligurian palaces, offering ever-changing views of the ramparts, the vegetation, and the garden itself.

The planting palette is inspired directly by the landscapes of Liguria. Italian cypress trees define the perspectives and punctuate the visitor's journey, while Mediterranean species, carefully selected for their adaptation to the local climate, evoke the fragrances and atmosphere of the Italian Riviera. Lavender, rosemary, sage, olive trees, evergreen shrubs, and perennial flowering plants create a vibrant landscape throughout the seasons while promoting biodiversity and minimizing irrigation and maintenance requirements.

The material palette has been deliberately kept simple, durable, and respectful of the site's historic character. White limestone gravel, light travertine, architectural concrete, natural wood, and subtle accents of Corten steel create a contemporary yet timeless identity. These carefully selected materials complement the historic ramparts without competing with them, allowing the existing heritage to remain the focal point of the composition.

Beyond its visual qualities, the project offers a genuine sensory experience. The gentle sound of flowing water, the fragrances of Mediterranean plants, the play of light and shadow beneath the trees, the illuminated stone walls, and the carefully orchestrated perspectives invite visitors to slow down, reflect, and reconnect with this remarkable place. The garden becomes a peaceful refuge within the historic center of Loano.

Conceived as an extension of the surrounding public spaces, this new landscape welcomes both residents and visitors alike. It provides a place for rest, walking, contemplation, and social interaction, where heritage, landscape, and contemporary design coexist in harmony. More than simply creating a garden, the project reveals a forgotten space and gives it a renewed identity by placing the historic ramparts at the heart of the design, transforming this hidden site into a new green sanctuary within the city.