Corte Eremo
September 2012 – November 2015
Curtatone, Mantua
A temporary home and a new beginning near Mantua, rising from the aftermath of the 2012 earthquakes. We knew from the start that Corte Eremo was not going to be a permanent solution for the association or our "forever garden", but it was here, on the outskirts of Mantua, that we got back on our feet, dusted ourselves off, and started over. The city welcomed our association with open arms and we immediatly collaborated with Festivaletteratura and Cinema del Carbone.
The Custodian's House
After the earthquakes of May 2012 destroyed the Castle of Galeazza, the association moved into a small farmhouse behind the villa of Corte Eremo, built in 1752. The Morelli Coghi family offered us rent-free accomodation in exchange for mowing expansive lawns and caring for their two dogs, Luna and Pippo.
The basement of the villa served as both storage and an atmospheric space for concerts and exhibitions, allowing the association to keep its cultural mission alive during a challenging time of transition.
The Garden, Corte Eremo
One of the most beautiful projects at Corte Eremo was the creation of a new garden. We managed to rescue over 1,000 plants from the castle garden and bring them to Mantova.
Around the threshing floor, we created wide mixed borders of perennials, grasses, and many sun-loving annuals. Ferns and other plants that needed shade were housed in a derelict cow barn, which we renamed the "Hortus Horrei" (Garden of the Granary).
A Transitional Period
Life at Corte Eremo was difficult and defined by resilience and ingenuity. While the property was stunning, many of its buildings were not structurally sound. We faced significant challenges, including moldy walls and leaking roofs that threatened Clark's library and art collection. Friends of the association continued to visit and support us nontheless. Everyone adored Mantua.
Despite these difficulties, the three years spent in Curtatone were essential for the association to regain its footing. It was a period of intense gardening, networking in a new town, and learning how to make do with what we had. We moved to La Macchina Fissa in 2015.
Resilience and Hope
Corte Eremo was the bridge between our past at the castle and our future at the 19th Century pumphouse known as La Macchina Fissa. The owner, Fausto Tosi, saw that we needed a bigger and better location, and his property, which had been abandoned for years and was only twenty minutes away, needed us. He rebuilt the roofs over the summer of 2015 and we moved in in December. Between March and September of 2017, we restored a wing of the house where there were once steam engines for pumping water. This new area of the house provided us with three new bedrooms, two new bathrooms, a large kitchen, and a laundry room.