The Lawn
The Castle's central lawn is a natural, coarse, uneven expanse, measuring about 30,000 square meters, the same size as nearly three football fields.
It is not a perfect, uniform lawn but, in its imperfections, embodies the healthy and poetic coexistence of numerous natural species. It withstands drought, is resilient to disease, and has a casual yet extremely pleasing appearance.
It is mowed for hay several times a year, depending on the season’s dryness or rainfall. The first cut, at the end of May, coincides with the moment when the lawn’s species bloom and “seed.” During mowing, in fact, many seeds fall to the ground, ensuring the lawn’s renewal.
Around mid-June, the lawn is at its most luxuriant. In summer, though occasionally weary, it remains harmonious with the surrounding landscape, turning suddenly bright green again after a thunderstorm or heavy rain.
As Paolo Pejrone writes: “It’s fascinating to observe how many different species of ‘grassy’ (and non-grassy) plants can survive in just a few square meters: their fragile lightness, together with their rustic and flexible textures, makes one want to keep a small patch of untamed, unmowed lawn in one’s own garden.”
The Castle’s flowering lawn seems to grow more beautiful over time, year after year. The more it is cultivated, the stronger the bonds of mutual growth and support.
The Castle’s central lawn is a natural, coarse, uneven expanse, measuring about 30,000 square meters, the same size as nearly three football fields.
It is not a perfect, uniform lawn but, in its imperfections, embodies the healthy and poetic coexistence of numerous natural species. It withstands drought, is resilient to disease, and has a casual yet extremely pleasing appearance.
It is mowed for hay several times a year, depending on the season’s dryness or rainfall. The first cut, at the end of May, coincides with the moment when the lawn’s species bloom and “seed.” During mowing, in fact, many seeds fall to the ground, ensuring the lawn’s renewal.
Around mid-June, the lawn is at its most luxuriant. In summer, though occasionally weary, it remains harmonious with the surrounding landscape, turning suddenly bright green again after a thunderstorm or heavy rain.
As Paolo Pejrone writes: “It’s fascinating to observe how many different species of ‘grassy’ (and non-grassy) plants can survive in just a few square meters: their fragile lightness, together with their rustic and flexible textures, makes one want to keep a small patch of untamed, unmowed lawn in one’s own garden.”
The Castle’s flowering lawn seems to grow more beautiful over time, year after year. The more it is cultivated, the stronger the bonds of mutual growth and support.