Fondazione Michelucci launches crowdfunding to transform garden into cultural hub

The Fondazione Giovanni Michelucci in Fiesole has launched a crowdfunding campaign with a target of €20,000 to open the garden of Villa Il Roseto to the community. The campaign, which began on January 21, 2017, is part of the Social Crowdfunders initiative promoted by Siamosolidali, a project of the Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Firenze in collaboration with Guanxi, Impact Hub Firenze, and Eppela. If €10,000 is raised from individual donations by March 2, 2017, the Fondazione CR Firenze will match the amount. The garden, which offers panoramic views of Florence, will be transformed from a private space into a common good under the project 'Innesto Creativo'. This aligns with Michelucci's vision of an open architecture for an open city, as stated by foundation president Giancarlo Paba. The 1,500-square-meter space will host classical music concerts, painting and photography workshops, theater performances, and guided tours from May to October. The program will be developed with local associations including Cartavetra gallery, Bottega Instabile, No Dump, Pomaio, Ark Kostruendo, and Quartetto Delfico. The foundation, already an active research center for architecture, will showcase its art collections, original furniture, drawings, and architectural models, including those of the Santa Maria Novella railway station designer.