Post by Italy Now

A boxwood maze inspired by the writer who made labyrinths a metaphor for existence has just been restored in Venice. And the story behind it is worth getting lost in. The Borges Labyrinth on the Isola di San Giorgio Maggiore, created by the Fondazione Giorgio Cini to honour Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges, has reopened after a full restoration, timed to mark the fortieth anniversary of Borges's death and fifteen years since the labyrinth's creation. PwC Italia funded the project as main sponsor. Giovanni Andrea Toselli, chairman and CEO of PwC Italia, framed the investment clearly: "Supporting this project with the Fondazione Giorgio Cini means making a site of great artistic and symbolic value more accessible to different audiences." Renata Codello, secretary general of the foundation, went further: "This intervention demonstrates how it is possible to restore a living architecture that is volume, geometry, meditative space and a page of literature." The restoration was substantial. Workers removed 165 dead or weakened boxwood plants, overhauled the irrigation system, added new soil and replanted mature hedging pruned to match the existing maze. The entrance path was levelled and honeycomb panels installed for visitors with reduced mobility. In partnership with the Venice branch of the Unione Italiana dei Ciechi e degli Ipovedenti ETS - APS, a tactile map was added so blind and partially sighted visitors can understand the maze's layout before entering. "Offering a positive experience that can be shared with others is an important matter of inclusion," Codello said. The labyrinth stands beside two cloisters by Andrea Buora and Andrea Palladio, forming what is in effect a third cloister. Since opening in 2021 through tours run by @VisitCini, it has drawn more than 25,000 visitors. This autumn, PwC Italia will open it free to the public for one weekend. Credits: Giorgio Cini Foundation 📖 Read the full story: https://lnkd.in/eiqiwZKf By Sabina Castelfranco for Italy Now #Venice #BorgesLabyrinth #FondazioneGiorgioCini #PwC #CulturalHeritage #Restoration #Accessibility #Italy #ItalyNow #Art #Culture #Architecture #Investment #Borges #Palladio #SanGiorgio #Inclusion #Veneto                        Fondazione Giorgio Cini PwC Giovanni Andrea Toselli Renata Codello Unione Italiana dei Ciechi e degli Ipovedenti ETS - APS Sabina Castelfranco Alina Trabattoni, PhD Italy Now