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The Minoa Symposium Park is very close to the centre of Marsala, on the state road n. 115; it’s a peculiar structure used for receptions, banquets and conferences, surrounded by 2.2 acres of green.

The garden, designed by the landscape architect Ermanno Casasco in 1994, looks like a small valley with natural and abstract features, organized within a set of geometric shapes.
The whole space, delimited by a surrounding wall, features a series of paths, valleys, hills and hundreds of different plants that recall ancient shapes and atmospheres, along with a large sculpture standing next to a pond.

The garden can be accessed through a paved and shaded panoramic walk, which runs all along its perimeter, delimiting the estate and giving it a sense of protection. Inside it, there are waves of grass featuring many varieties of palms and trees, including queen palms (Cocos plumosa) and Chinese windmill palms (Trachicarpus fortunei), Cycas revoluta, myrtle (Myrtus communis), olive trees, citrus fruits and holm oaks (Quercus ilex).

On the right, there’s the pond with “Moto Terreno Solare”, the gigantic sculpture by Arnaldo Pomodoro: made of tuff, it features huge parallelepipeds, spirals, and spheres scarred by cracks, which seem to chase each other and evoke abstract barren landscapes.
Around this area, there are yuccas, agaves, succulent plants such as Sedum, Echinocactus grusonii, Ferocactus spp., Cereus spp., and prickly pears (Opuntie nane), with multicolored flowers; there are also rosemary and lavender bushes.
The pond, paved with river pebbles, emphasizes the light and shadow visual effects and the very feeling of naturalness.

On one side of the building, Ermanno Casasco created a small waterfall on a retaining wall, in a secluded and shady area; the waterfall was embellished with rocks and ferns.

This post is also available in: Italiano (Italian)