The Aurunci mountains regional park
Green house and laboratory

This area of southern Lazio, caught between hills, mountains and countryside maintains its ancient manufacture of traditional crafts and objects. In the suburban area of Itri there are the Mounts Aurunci Regional park Vivaio (green House) and the park craftsmen and carpenter's shop. The Vivaio is useful for the conservation and the protection of the interesting genetic patrimony of the numerous local species that are part of the original flora of the park and in the recovery of degraded and areas impoverished by the frequent fires.

            Itri's Landscape

The park’s expert gardeners help reproducing original species through techniques with low environmental impact. In the vivaio’s green houses they reproduce and sell local wild plants typical of this area of the Aurunci Mountains for the park’s regeneration and private gardening. The park’s green house supplies also services and expertise of maintenance of greens spaces both private and public. Its green house is the joy for whoever wish to recreate the beauty of the Mediterranean wilderness in his own garden. In addition to local wild plants the green house also collects and sells dried herbs. The plants are typical of these mountains growing naturally such as wild camomile, rosemary, basil, sage, oregano and many other wild herbs grown organically or hand-pickled for cooking and domestic use.

Next to the green house there is a small handcrafts and carpentry factory created for using and working the wood and natural material in excess coming from the park woodlands. In fact, the ordinary maintenance of the forests that the park rangers carry out produces lots of trunks of excellent quality for artworks. Wood and other natural materials are used in the craftsmen laboratory for creation of handcraft products that can be used in the realization of the areas equipped inside of the park or for private and public spaces. Beautiful wood pots or baskets in natural wood for house or garden are sold in the park shops. In fact, both the park green house and the craftsmen shop sell their products to the public.

The craftsmen maintain the ancient tradition of using natural materials such as the ‘stramma’, a long, stiff grass or wood to produce beautiful straw baskets and wood works, inlay and wood mosaics to decorated furniture and interiors in a traditional rustic style. Nowadays these objects are used mainly as decoration for interiors but, traditionally they have always accompanied daily domestic activities and have a long rural history behind their manufacture. Keeping the tradition of producing these artefacts means also that ancient customs and values are still tied in some way to this territory and to the roots of its old rural culture.

Mounts Aurunci Natural Park Green House and Carpentry address:

Vivaio e Falegnameria del parco Naturale dei Monti Aurunci
Via Civita Farnese, snc, (ex istituto Agrario)
04020 Itri (LT)
Tel/Fax: 0771-727241
Mobile: 349-238-3320