Appointment in the Garden – Beyond Sight
Leopardi's garden experienced with eyes closed, through touch, smell and hearing
About Appointment in the Garden
An appointment in the garden of the Infinite
Appointment in the Garden is the national initiative promoted by APGI – Associazione Parchi e Giardini d'Italia, twinned with the European event Rendez-vous aux jardins which every year, on the same weekend, opens hundreds of parks and gardens in more than twenty countries. In Recanati, in the heart of the Province of Macerata and the Marche region, the event takes a special form at the Orto sul Colle dell'Infinito, the FAI property kept within the walls of the ancient Monastery of Santo Stefano, a few steps from the birthplace of Giacomo Leopardi.
"Oltre la vista": the 2026 theme
The 2026 edition is dedicated to the theme "La Vista" (Sight) and invites visitors to observe the garden with a renewed gaze, able to grasp values and meanings that are often invisible. From this comes "Oltre la vista" (Beyond Sight), the experience created together with the Museo Tattile Statale Omero in Ancona: an accessible and inclusive itinerary that, paradoxically, asks visitors to give up their sight in order to rediscover the garden with the other senses.
Wearing a mask that blocks out sight and accompanied by audio-tactile aids produced by the Museo Omero, participants explore the garden-orchard relying on touch, smell and hearing: the essences and scents of the plants, the texture of the leaves, the rustle of the wind on the hill. It is the same landscape that in 1819 inspired Leopardi to write the most famous lines in Italian poetry, here rendered in a sensory key.
The Orto sul Colle dell'Infinito
Entrusted to the FAI in 2017 by the Municipality of Recanati, the National Centre for Leopardian Studies and the World Centre for Poetry, the Orto sul Colle dell'Infinito is far more than a historic garden: it is the place of the soul from which Leopardi gazed at "the farthest horizon". Once the vegetable garden of the Poor Clares, today it preserves the vine, the essences and the plants that intertwine botany and literature, offering visitors a true walk through the verses of L'Infinito.
An event for everyone
The project brings together two centres of excellence in the Marche region: the FAI's landscape care and the extraordinary expertise of the Museo Tattile Statale Omero, a national reference point for museum accessibility and sensory mediation. The result is an experience designed to be enjoyed by anyone – sighted and visually impaired, adults and children – in the spirit of inclusion and shared discovery.
- Where: Orto sul Colle dell'Infinito, Via Monte Tabor 2, Recanati (MC)
- When: Saturday 6 June 2026 (visits in Recanati), Sunday 7 June 2026 (workshop at the Museo Omero in Ancona)
- 2026 theme: "La Vista" (Sight)
- Organised by: FAI – Orto sul Colle dell'Infinito and Museo Tattile Statale Omero
Appointment in the Garden — edition 2026
For the 2026 edition, dedicated to the theme "La Vista" (Sight), the Orto sul Colle dell'Infinito and the Museo Tattile Statale Omero jointly present "Oltre la vista", an experience spread over two days and two locations in the Marche. The programme is published and the tours are bookable.
Saturday 6 June – Recanati (MC)
At the Orto sul Colle dell'Infinito, two accessible and inclusive guided tours at 10:00 and 11:00. The itinerary combines historical-landscape storytelling with a sensory approach: wearing a mask that blocks out sight and using the audio-tactile aids of the Museo Omero, visitors explore the garden through touch, smell and hearing. Ticket office on the first floor of the Centro Nazionale di Studi Leopardiani, Via Monte Tabor 2.
Sunday 7 June – Ancona
At the Museo Tattile Statale Omero (Mole Vanvitelliana, Banchina Giovanni da Chio 28), 10:00-12:00, a multisensory activity dedicated to aromatic plants and ancient seeds: you can touch, smell and learn about ancient varieties while listening to the "Music of nature" thanks to the instrument The Music of the Plants, which translates the plants' sap movements into sounds. Free admission; as it is the first Sunday of the month, the Museum's Design collection is free too.
Programme Appointment in the Garden 2026
Saturday 6 June 2026 — Orto sul Colle dell'Infinito, Recanati (MC)
- 10:00 — Accessible and inclusive guided tour "Oltre la vista": sensory exploration of the garden with a mask that blocks out sight and the audio-tactile aids of the Museo Omero (touch, smell, hearing).
- 11:00 — Second guided tour "Oltre la vista" (same itinerary).
Ticket office on the first floor of the Centro Nazionale di Studi Leopardiani, Via Monte Tabor 2.
Sunday 7 June 2026 — Museo Tattile Statale Omero, Ancona
- 10:00-12:00 — Multisensory activity on aromatic plants and ancient seeds: touch, smell and learn about ancient varieties; listening to the "Music of nature" with the instrument The Music of the Plants. Free admission.
Highlights Appointment in the Garden 2026
Prices Appointment in the Garden 2026
Practical information — Appointment in the Garden
Getting there
The Orto sul Colle dell'Infinito is located at Via Monte Tabor 2 in Recanati, next to the hill celebrated by Leopardi. By car: A14 exit Loreto-Porto Recanati, then the provincial road to Recanati (about 15 km). By train: Recanati-Loreto station, then bus or taxi to the old town. Car parks near the centre.
Opening times and tickets
Saturday 6 June 2026: guided tours "Oltre la vista" at 10:00 and 11:00. The ticket office is on the first floor of the Centro Nazionale di Studi Leopardiani, Via Monte Tabor 2. Sunday 7 June 2026: multisensory activity at the Museo Tattile Statale Omero in Ancona (Mole Vanvitelliana), 10:00-12:00, free admission.
Prices (visits in Recanati)
- FAI members: €10
- Full price: €20
- Residents of the Municipality of Recanati: €15
- Young people 6-18 and students 19-25: €15
- People with disabilities: €10
- Children 0-5: free
- Family (2 adults + children 6-18): €45
Contacts
Orto sul Colle dell'Infinito: tel. +39 071 4604521 – [email protected]. Museo Tattile Statale Omero: [email protected]. Booking recommended for accessible tours.
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Where does it take place — Appointment in the Garden
Orto sul Colle dell'Infinito
Via Monte Tabor, 2, 62019 Recanati