Sunday, October 31st, 2021, at 11 am, in the Lanza Hall of the Botanical Garden of Palermo, on the occasion of the event “Zagara d’Autunno”, the weTree Award (5,000 euro) was assigned to “INCONTRI MEDITERRANEI – Aprire il confine, ricucire le distanze, accogliere la ricchezza” (Mediterranean meetings – Opening the border, mending distances, welcoming wealth), the winning project of the Competition “Il Mediterraneo, ovunque” (The Mediterranean, everywhere).
At the core of this project designed by Lucia Pergolizzi, Valentina Mandalari, Giulia Poles, Luisa Coppolino, Simona Aprile and Elettra Bordonaro, is the expansion of the Botanical Garden of Palermo with a new area dedicated to the architect and intellectual Rosanna Pirajno.
The presentation of the project was attended by the Mayor of Palermo Leoluca Orlando, who signed the weTree Pact, Ilaria Borletti Buitoni (President of weTree Association), Massimo Midiri (Rector of the University of Palermo), Paolo Inglese (Director of the Service Center of the Museum System of the University of Palermo), Rosario Schicchi (Director of the Botanical Garden of Palermo), and Mario Faro (Vice-President of the Radicepura Foundation), among others.
Speaking of weTree Palermo, Ilaria Borletti Buitoni said:
“I am happy to contribute with this award to the landscape redevelopment of the Botanical Garden, prestigious institution of the University of Palermo which, in addition to its biodiversity heritage, has a great value also from the historical, architectural and artistic point of view.
The dedication of the new area to Rosanna Pirajno is consistent with the mission that weTree aims to promote through the commitment of women: a new culture and a renewed sensitivity to the environment, the green and the context where citizens live, which is essential for their health.
In all the cities that have embraced WeTree Project, we always dedicated trees or green areas to a woman who distinguished herself for an extraordinary commitment to community.
I thank the Radicepura Foundation, the Botanical Garden of the University of Palermo and the University of Palermo Museum System for the organization of this weTree Award”.
The Botanical Garden, whose last extension dates back to 1906, has recently acquired a magnificent area close to Via Tiro a Segno and the Oreto River, which, thanks to weTree, will host floreal species of the Mediterranean climate present on a global scale, such as the West Coast of the United States, the Central District of Chile, the South African fynbos and the Mediterranean areas of Southeastern and Southwestern Australia.
Including an overpass joining the garden to its expansion, this new area will collect everything that represents the “true” Mediterranean climate: plants grown in similar yet geographically very distant environments will be planted here, so that students may verify analogies, homologies and differences among them.
“IL MEDITERRANEO, OVUNQUE” CONTEST
Technical Jury: Rosario Schicchi, Manfredi Leone, Antonio Perazzi, Emanuela Rosa Clot, Ilaria Borletti Buitoni.
Artistic Jury: Aloisa Moncada di Paternò, Renata Prescia, Gianfranco Tuzzolino, Antonio Motisi.
In the slider at the top of the page:
Photo n. 1 – Lanza Hall view from above during the weTree Award Ceremony. From left: Mario Faro, Vice President of Fondazione Radicepura, Leoluca Orlando, Mayor of Palermo, Paolo Inglese, Director of Centro Servizi Sistema Museale of the University of Palermo, Massimo Midiri, Rector of the University of Palermo, Ilaria Borletti Buitoni, President of weTree Association – photo courtesy of Fondazione Radicepura.
Photo n. 2 – from left: Mario Faro, Vice President of the Radicepura Foundation, Leoluca Orlando, Mayor of Palermo, Rosario Schicchi, Director of the Botanical Gardens of Palermo, Massimo Midiri, Rector of the University of Palermo, Ilaria Borletti Buitoni, President of weTree Association – photo courtesy of Fondazione Radicepura.
Photo n. 3 – from left: Leoluca Orlando, Mayor of Palermo, Ilaria Borletti Buitoni, President of weTree Association, Paolo Inglese, Director of Centro Servizi Sistema Museale dell’Università degli Studi di Palermo – photo courtesy of Ufficio Stampa Zagara d’Autunno.
Photo n. 4 – from left: Simona Aprile, Lucia Pergolizzi, Luisa Coppolino, and Valentina Mandalari, all among the winners of the “INCONTRI MEDITERRANEI” project – photo courtesy of Ufficio Stampa Zagara d’Autunno.
Photo n. 5 – from left: Ilaria Borletti Buitoni, President of weTree Association, Paolo Inglese, Director of the Services Centre of the Museum System of the University of Palermo – photo courtesy of Zagara d’Autunno Press Office.
Photo n. 6 – from left: Paolo Inglese, Director of the Service Centre of the Museum System of the University of Palermo, Luisa Coppolino and Lucia Pergolizzi, among the winners of “INCONTRI MEDITERRANEI” project, Mario Faro, Vice President of Fondazione Radicepura, Simona Aprile and Valentina Mandalari, both among the winners of “INCONTRI MEDITERRANEI” project – photo courtesy of Fondazione Radicepura.
Photo n. 7 – from left: Mario Faro, Vice President of Radicepura Foundation, Ilaria Borletti Buitoni, President of weTree Association, Martina Palumbo, General Secretariat of Radicepura Foundation – photo courtesy of Radicepura Foundation.
