‘The Walking Forest’ arrives in Pesaro: this is how urban spaces are regenerated

Project just presented by Pesaro, Italian capital of culture 2024. The route starts on Saturday 20 April

ROME – One hundred large pots of trees and shrubs that advance in the city to regenerate sterile soil: this is ‘The walking foresta project just presented by Pesaro Italian Capital of Culture 2024. The journey begins Saturday 20 April starting at 10amwith eight stages that will unfold until in Octoberevery time an opportunity to create entertainment and cultural dissemination events around the itinerant greenery.

The idea was born in December 2022, when the mayor Matteo Ricci and Daniele Vimini – deputy mayor and councilor for Beauty of the Municipality of Pesaro – imagined producing on the occasion of Pesaro 2024 a temporary installation of trees and shrubs in places of the city where the vegetal element was absent, like a green invasion. The event had to produce a reinterpretation of the occupied urban space itself and at the same time a rethinking of the man/nature relationship and so it was thought. From April 20th, one hundred trees and shrubs (6 and a half meters the tallest plant) placed in pots in hemp fibers and raw earth, they will occupy a part of Piazza del Popolo and after two weeks they will proceed on a long journey in stages towards their final destination. In October they will be planted in the area of ​​the Santa Marta Hotel Institute which thanks to the ‘Walking Forest’ project will be significantly redeveloped by transforming heavily degraded and asphyxiated soil into a park also equipped with green classrooms.

The ‘Walking Forest’ was coordinated by Michele Gambini – municipal councilor – and operationally entrusted to Aspes, implementing subject. The latter made use of the professional work of the landscape designer Olga Moskvina. The care of the artistic and informative events that will accompany the different stages is by Sergio Paladino, in team with coordinator and designer. The design of the space of Santa Marta featured the entire school with the manager Roberto Franca, the teachers and the children. Another fundamental piece of the long event is the collaboration of Civil protection in the phases of moving and caring for the plants, and with the army, since the forest under construction was hosted at the 28th Pavia Regiment.

Other companies have also got involved: Renco has made 10 plants available which will go to the Molaroni Park in October, Lindbergh Hotels&Resorts of Nardo Filippetti has ‘lent’ some plants and the company Moretti Ugo Forklifts provides lifts for loading and unloading plants on trolleys built by the company Teo Rimorchi.

The transfers of the ‘Walking Forest’, events within the event, will involve volunteers and citizens. They have already responded to the appeal VolunteerX of Pesaro 2024 (about a hundred involved) ei Municipality greenery volunteers but the invitation to participate in the project is open and extended to anyone who wants to contribute to moving the plants. In his passages Bosco will also involve Mengaroni Art High School when it will occupy – welcomed by the children – the space in front of the school: the square of Creativity. The scheduled stages are: 20 April, 4 and 18 May, 1 and 29 June, 13 July, 3 August and 7 September.