The Garden of Peace has been inaugurated, one of the projects of Agrigento 2025.

A place to breathe. Think. Decide. Find yourself, gazing at a valley immersed in nature, among Sicanian necropolises, the ruins of a castle, a flowing river, and, in a few months, even a waterfall. We are between Ribera and Caltabellotta, in the Agrigento province, and here the thirtieth "Gardens of Peace" was born, a unique project that is spreading across Europe and has been included in the Agrigento Italian Capital of Culture dossier. The Poggiodiana Castle, restored and illuminated a few days ago by the Valley of the Temples Park, seems to watch from afar this place of "healing" that until a few weeks ago was abandoned. Now it is a terraced lookout where three fir wood platforms invite you to rest and reconnect with nature: from here you can see the entire Verdura River valley, on the border between the two municipalities that share a shared history and territory.

Next spring, it will be a colorful garden, as garden designers and young architects have sprinkled the entire space with seeds: flowers will bloom alongside the aromatic plants, especially laurel and rosemary, already planted. The Garden of Peace is a universal symbol of memory and resilience, a place where the beauty of the landscape intertwines with reflection and dialogue. It will be called the Lizard Lookout, taking inspiration from reptiles that survive even in harsh environments. It was created under the guidance of Gilbert Fillinger, director of Art & Jardins | Hauts-de-France.

"When I arrived here, I realized it was a symbolic place, history and nature combined," he explains, "a place to stop and breathe. We're handing it over to the young people." They've already arrived in groups, sitting on the platforms, studying, talking, and embracing in a place ignored even by many citizens of the two towns. The Belvedere delle Lucertole is part of the European project "Gardens of Peace." The garden represents a new chapter in an initiative that, since 2018, has created over thirty gardens in iconic locations. Designed by young landscapers and architects, who worked closely with seven students from DARCH—the University of Palermo's Master's Degree in Architecture—led by Maria Livia Olivetti and Silvia Cattiodoro, who emphasized "the wonderful opportunity given to our young people, who have experienced firsthand the projects we've been designing, to revive a forgotten place." This morning, the garden was handed over to the State Property Agency (represented by Luigi Micciché) and the two mayors.

"The two administrations have embraced the project, collaborating with the Foundation and identifying an extraordinary site on the border between the two territories: from here, a message of peace can be sent," explained Matteo Ruvolo, mayor of Ribera. "A Peace March will depart from here in the coming days, arriving at the Castle," added Biagio Marciante, mayor of Caltabellotta. "Here, speaking of brotherhood has a significant meaning, and we see that young people have understood this before anyone else." "The vision of Agrigento2025 is precisely that of reconnecting with nature, and this project is part of its core dossier," added Maria Teresa Cucinotta, president of Agrigento Capitale. "And it will be a project that will continue in these territories, which have always been open to welcoming people."

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