Piante e Animali Perduti

A journey into forgotten biodiversity

Piante e Animali Perduti is the historic market exhibition that every year, on the last weekend of September, transforms the historic center of Guastalla, in the Bassa Reggiana area, into a large, widespread garden dedicated to biodiversity. Founded in the late nineties, the event is now considered the most important exhibition of its kind in Emilia-Romagna and one of the best known in Italy: an unmissable event for gardeners, vegetable patch enthusiasts, the curious, and families.

Over 500 exhibitors in the Renaissance streets

The streets and squares of the Gonzaga city, from Piazza Mazzini to the spaces of the Ducal Palace and historic buildings, host more than 500 exhibitors from all over the peninsula. You can admire and purchase ancient varieties of flowering, fruit, and vegetable plants, recovered seeds, rare farmyard animal breeds, as well as a rich assortment of traditional crafts and local food and wine products. It is a true living sample of rural biodiversity, where every corner tells of peasant knowledge that risks being lost.

Not just a market: workshops, conferences, and exhibitions

The schedule is very full and designed to engage diverse audiences. Alongside the market, there are practical workshops, talks and conferences dedicated to green culture, biodiversity, and rural traditions, thematic exhibitions and art displays, pomological exhibitions with hundreds of forgotten fruits such as the giuggiola, uva fogarina, and pera passa crassana. There are also guided tastings, ancient games, craft demonstrations, shows, and activities for children to interact with farmyard animals.

Guastalla and the Gonzaga Lands

The event is also an opportunity to discover Guastalla, an elegant town in the Duchy of Gonzaga overlooking the Po River, with its squares, arcades, and Renaissance urban layout. Guided walks like Oasi Urbana and city treks like Asfalto e Radici accompany visitors in discovering urban greenery and wild edible plants growing in the city. The event is organized by the Associazione Guastallese Gemellaggi ed Eventi with the patronage of the Municipality of Guastalla.