Pietro Porcinai

Florentine architect and landscape artists Pietro Porcinai was the son of Martino Porcinai, gardener at Gamberaiafrom 1902 to 1916. Pietro trained abroad and worked in plant nurseries (at Martino Bianchi’s in Pistoia), becoming acquainted with the great masters of garden design. His long apprenticeship based on a historic approach eventually veered towards a fully contemporary language stemming from his experiences in Germany and Belgium working side by side with plant nursery and hybridization specialists. Porcinai’s work paved the way for the definition of the then emerging profession of landscape architecture. Particularly attentive to the environmental framework and to a garden’s site-specific characteristics, he was able to establish a dialogue between tradition and innovation, balancing between a profoundly mystical naturalistic vision and an attentive consideration of practical and formal aspects of landscape design. In working on pre-existent gardens, he created more rigid, austere and formal interventions, while in those projects he defined from scratch he expressed a freer creativity. Always remindful of each location’s genius loci, he was less interested in flowering plants and also tried his hand at furniture design. He collaborated with the leading architects of his time, working at Villa Fiorita in Saronno (1952-58) with BBPR, at the green area around the Olivetti plant in Pozzuoli (1952-55) designed by architect Luigi Cosenza; and at the landscape definition of the Brion Vega facilities in Asolo (1966) designed by architect Marco Zanuso. One of his most interesting interventions was at the Parco di Pinocchio not far from the town of Collodi in Tuscany. In this children’s theme park dedicated to the story of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi, Porcinai created the Paese dei Balocchi (1963-72) area in collaboration with Zanuso and sculptor Pietro Consagra. By introducing different elevations and scenographic greeneries, he was able to outline an itinerary, guiding viewers to the discovery of the various episodes of the book. Porcinai finalised over 1,300 projects, about one third of which are in Tuscany, a region whose landscape was a source of inspiration for his gardens. Published in Italian and international periodicals, his many articles are a useful tool to understand his culture, work methodology and choices. One award he was particularly fond of was the “Friedrich Ludwig von Sckell” prize from the Bavarian Academy of Fine Arts (1979). In 1981 he was among those who signed the “Carta di Firenze” for the restoration of historic gardens.

Look at the card of the Gamberaia Garden