th
# 84 OCTOBER 17 , 2016
The park of 450 acres surrounding the castle needs
to be restored too. It is
one of the largest in Tuscany and dates back to
the mid-nineteenth century when it was created
by Ferdinando from agricultural land around his
property and a grove of
oak trees. Like many botanists of his time, he planted numerous exotic trees,
including sequoias. In fact,
the park hosts the largest
group of giant sequoias
in Italy, in particular the famous Twin Sequoia (160 ft
tall and 25 ft circumference). Unfortunately, many
# 84 October 17
of the original trees are no
longer there because only
a small part of them has
survived.
The Sammezzano Castle was a magic location
used for various International television spots, for
example Thierry Mugler’s
perfume, and for a lot of
movies, the last of which
was “Tale of tales” starring
the famous American actor John Christopher Really and directed by Matteo
Garrone.
th
2016
Sammezzano's fate remains uncertain. In the years, vandals and bad weather have caused heavy
damages to the structure.
In consideration of this
dramatic
situation,
a
group of private citizens
gathered together and
created “Save Sammezzano”, trying to bring to the
attention of institutions,
corporations and people
the Sammezzano artistic/
architecture importance. It
is vital not only to protect
it but also to be open for
In spite of the world fa- the public to admire its
shion and movie interest, beauty.
62 | WE THE ITALIANS
WE THE ITALIANS | 63
www.wetheitalians.com
www.wetheitalians.com