The Garden of Return Trip, part 1

• Manja Maksimovič

This Sunday I discovered a new contemporary art garden. New for me, that is, Rodolfo Lacquaniti has been creating the world around him from scrap in his Giardino Viaggio di Ritorno in Braccagni for almost 20 years.

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I had a bit of a road trip this Sunday. The weather was murky, the sky was more or less uniformly covered and featureless and there was a nice wind, which all made it neither cold not hot, perfect for a two-hour stroll among the exhibits in a garden never seen before.

But first I stopped at the Casa Rossa Ximenes in Castiglione della Pescaia, which should be holding a museum but it looked rather closed. There was not a soul in sight, except a grand bird from my second picture and a horde of butterflies, one seen in photo No. 3. I had a silent conversation with the bird and told it that they have it grand over there and so very quiet.

Then I spotted a tall hill, practically a mountain, and I just had to drive over it, on purpose, just to feel some elevation after almost a year. Giardino Viaggio di Ritorno, or The Garden of Return Trip, was waiting for me on the other side. As I descended, I found myself at the mouth of a beautiful valley and I immediately understood how one can end up in Braccagni for life.

Then Google Maps led me to the Garden from the wrong, wild side, which made some sturdy plants growing between both tracks of the dirt road hit my car from beneath, but it all added up to the adventure.

Quite a big group has gathered, including some dogs (I left mine at home with amore), and I saw Donna Stiles, the painter, and her husband already there. She handed me my portrait that she had painted and was hanging in a Massa Marittima gallery for a week two years ago, which made me happy (find it here. It’s called “Sweet 17”). And she was happy that I told her about this Giardino which is only half an hour away from her but she had never heard of it before.

Then the artist Rodolfo Lacquaniti let the way through his art pieces surrounding his house, where he has been living with his wife and daughter for almost 20 years, talking non-stop for two hours. I remember the most that his garden is feminine and that he consults with his wife and daughter about every piece, and that the future is in the hands of women and children. Oh, and that this is not trash art. This is scart art.

Visit the Giardino’s official website for more wonderful photos, but here is the first half of mine. The second part will follow soon.

  • The Red House Ximenes in the wilderness of Castiglione della Pescaia.
  • Is this a heron? It seemed so proud of its home.
  • This fellow is really tiny. I was clicking away, not knowing it the photos would be any good and was pleasantly surprised.
  • The mountain! It reminded me of Pohorje above Maribor in Slovenia. I had to drive over it.
  • When I came down, it was like this. A sense of peace came over me.
  • The dirt road leading to the Garden from the wild side.
  • There is a whole line of these circles where we parked under the olive trees.
  • The first sculptures you see. All made from scrap materials.
  • The first installation. Thank you for the door, was my first thought.
  • Turtles!
  • A detail of a cute fellow.
  • The artist’s residence. Cosy and inviting. Plus two dogs.
  • The first whale. There are a couple and you can enter them.
  • A different kind of tree.
  • This bestia was complaining a lot. Such an art critic. (As I said, not mine!)
  • Here he is, Rodolfo Lacquaniti, the artist. Now I read that he also helped Niki de Saint Phalle create her Tarot Garden.
  • I love this one.
  • This is a scary one, finished during the pandemic. They are inside a big black truck.
  • It reminded me of the Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler even before I saw this child in the back of the vehicle.
  • This is inside a black square. The plastic strips make a sound if you touch them. To be continued.

The second part of this visit on my blog is here.

This day in my blogging history

27 thoughts on “The Garden of Return Trip, part 1”

    1. Hahh, count on Duke to count dogs. There was one visiting dog – the complaining one of French vanilla colour that looks like mine – plus two home dogs, black, but yes, only one visible in front of the artist residence. And thanks. It was a good day.

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