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Daniel Spoerri’s Garden, opened to the public in 1997, was actually created in the early 1990s, when the Swiss artist began to install a sculpture park in southern Tuscany, on the slopes of Mount Amiata, on an area of about 40 acres. There are currently 103 works of art by 50 different artists, such as Eva Aeppli, Arman, Erik Dietman, and Jean Tiguely.

The park is also known as “Il Paradiso” (“Paradise”), from the ancient name of the place where it was built and also thanks to the incredible beauty of this part of Toscana, particularly green and luxuriant; the slopes of Mount Amiata are, in fact, covered with thick woods which get cloaked in snow during the winter months.

The entrance gate to the garden bears the Latin motto “hic terminus haeret”, which means “Here the boundaries connect”, hinting to the very magic soul of the park.
Walking along its paths, visitors will come across evocative bronze sculptures, harmoniously integrated into the landscape rich in by olive trees (Olea europaea), chestnut trees (Castanea sativa), and Mediterranean scrub; interesting botanical information is provided for several areas of the park. For instance, there’s “Chambre Nr 13”, weighing over 5 tons and made of grass sofas, a golden olive tree, gigantic drummers followed by 160 geese, and other mysterious and intriguing figures such as fire-breathing dragons, dwarves and warriors stuck between dream and reality. Not to mention the 547-yard Labyrinth, the mysterious circular formation of horseheads, or the series of faces installed on columns.

Inside the park, there are also Daniel Spoerr’s home-laboratory and a restaurant which serves many typical treats of Tuscan cuisine.

“The Garden of Daniel Spoerri – Hic Terminus Haeret”, became a Foundation in 1997, and now is also is a training facility, aimed at preserving the park and researching art and history of science.

This post is also available in: Italiano (Italian)