THE IDEAL TOWN

La Scarzuola
Near the small town of Montegiove are the Franciscan monastery and the gardens of La Scarzuola. The convent was founded by St Francis in 1218 and is situated in a wooded area. The church has an interesting fresco; it is one of the earliest depictions of St Francis, painted by an artist who had met him.

In 1956, the architect Tomaso Buzzi (1900 - 1981) bought the complex and began restoration. He created a garden which was modelled on the descriptions in Polyphilus’ Dream of the Strife of Love, of 1499. The gardens are divided into various themed ‘cities’. The aim of his plan was to create a sort of "ideal" city where a blend between nature and culture could take place. The result has been an architectural complex where symbolisms, allegories and any kind of citations are scattered throughout it and where there are many small and empty rooms that make it appear like a giant termitarium. Tomaso Buzzi is considered one of the most interesting Italian designers of the XX century and he has been a subject of research during the last years. This is how he created this bridge between old and new, keeping the structure of the convent and adding his "ideal city" to it. The Città Buzziana is an architectural composition inspired from neo-Mannerism as it can be inferred from the staircases that cross the complex and by the extension and the lack of proportion of its shapes, but also from the numerous statues that are present everywhere.