History
Horti is a green area of 35,000 square meters that Almo Collegio Borromeo of Pavia – the oldest university college of merit in Italy – redeveloped as a public space. Here natural habitats, contemporary art, cultural events, ethical commitment, equity and social inclusion are interconnected. It is located in the historic center of Pavia, near the Ticino river. Once dedicated to the cultivation of vegetables and orchards for the College's students, this area is now a place of sociability, creativity and interweaving of knowledge, animated by the conviction that beauty has a redemptive and pedagogical force.
Horti is a nature park. Thanks to the creation of new waterways and wetlands, the planting of thousands of new plants and shrubs and the installation of bird feeders and nests, insect houses and hives, it encloses various natural habitats to safeguard biodiversity.
Horti is also an art garden, where nature is in dialogue with works of art, also created site-specific, realized by some of the most significant interpreters of our time. Some works of art are located in Horti Extra Art, an old church artistically regenerated.
Finally, Horti is an ethical project because it promotes social inclusion, solidarity and the defense of sustainability and equity, with a growing territorial network.
An important cultural proposal, involving also the students of Collegio Borromeo, enriches the place with initiatives and events, conferences, workshops, open interdisciplinary and transversal dialogues between multiple knowledge and perspectives.
