The Garden, or the Brolo di Ca’Orologio
The “brolo” – a word used in just a few areas of northern Italy – is the land that surrounds country houses, typically cultivated with fruit trees, vines, vegetables or olives.
Brolo di Ca’Orologio, which extends over 20,000 square metres, is my garden. It is a place of joy and vitality, and inspires everyone who visits. I’m very proud of it.
The family vegetable and flower garden
Plants are catalysts for the life forces that foster wellbeing in all forms of life, including humans. Cultivating wholesome foods by observing and restoring the fertility of the soil and the ecosystem is a particularly absorbing practice. Spending time working in the vegetable patch each day can be tiring at times, but the effort is well worth it.
A scent of lavender
In aromatherapy, lavender brings equilibrium and serenity.
Visitors to Ca’Orologio always ask me about the scent they notice in the air. It’s lavender, I reply.
We gather huge bunches of it every summer and hang it up to dry in the courtyard. Once it is ready, we use it to decorate and scent the rooms. This is the origin of the scent.