Rampinzeri Castle – the garden

The modification to the principal front of the building and little church situated in the external court, realized in neogothic style, date back to the end of ‘800. During the same years was created the Garden of Villa Fata near to the master’s property, a romantic garden created as a perfect mix of Italian geometric garden and the irregular English one, which De Stefani give the assigned the task of transmit, with the symbolic language used by the nobles of the time, the sign of his humanistic project that consist in activate the culture and social and economic development  of the territory.

From this point of view the garden and the whole complex of Rampinzeri must be read from the tanning in key of the vault, true symbol of knowledge, element slots in the center of the connecting arc  between the big court and little courtyard; immediately in front of the arc there is the church in gothic style, symbol of divine faith, if watch from the big court it was possible see the watch tower called “little red house”, symbol of guard; and the garden, farer, symbol of spirit and mind since the antiquity.

The park was important for the dimension and its flora richness, it extended for one and a half and it was decorated with benches, a big marble fountain, the “gebbia” (a little tank) and different variety of locals and exotics plants. Through a little bridge it was possible access, in the same side of the driveway, to the long boulevard of the garden, in some points it is covered by the selenite chalky rocks; on the right of the long boulevard, divided by five arches, there was the octogonal fountain; the way arrived to a ample space where in the middle there was a big “gebbia” used for the irrigation, it also was branch out in more little boulevard where strolling with calm between fruits trees and exotics species.

The flora of the garden was composed by pines, some cypresses disposed in rows that surrounded the garden, firs, laurel plants disposed ad hedge along the boulevards, different colours oleanders, an araucaria of big dimension, different types and size of palm, two pepper trees, a weeping pillow on the right lower side of the gebbia, elms, ficus, jujube tree, a spot of big Indian bamboo and lots of fruits trees as walnut, medlar, pomegranate trees, lotus, apple trees, pear trees, peach trees, quince trees, blackthorn, lemon trees, orange bitter trees, pergolas of grapes, prickly pears, figs, almond trees and carob trees.

On the mountain that dominate the building, was built a little house, called “red” for the colour of his front, that was used ad panoramic, pictorial and photographic observatory for the grandson Vincenzo junor.

Unfortunately, since 1970, with the elimination of the farm and thinning out of the owner visits, even the garden was subjected to abandon and decline phenomenon, included different fires that destroyed a big part of the flora and permit the access of new common and infesting species.

It remains a site with great charm that even today, despite the abandon, permit to the visitor to understand the greatness and beauty of the whole complex of Rampinzeri, and that it must be protected and safeguarded to allow its complete fruition and valorization.