The history and structure of gardens hold endless surprises and fascinating connections with other disciplines. Originally created as a natural but immutable place offering protection and shelter, gardens have evolved from the hortus conclusus to a place of fantastic architecture, celebrations and wonder. Despite the aesthetic development that was added to the symbolic one of the medieval tradition, the garden never completely lost its medicinal and practical function, featuring areas dedicated to fruit trees, greenhouses reserved for exotic crops or plants whose medicinal or dyeing properties were well known.

Presentation

The history and structure of gardens hold endless surprises and fascinating connections with other disciplines. Originally created as a natural but immutable place offering protection and shelter, gardens have evolved from the hortus conclusus to a place of fantastic architecture, celebrations and wonder. Despite the aesthetic development that was added to the symbolic one of the medieval tradition, the garden never completely lost its medicinal and practical function, featuring areas dedicated to fruit trees, greenhouses reserved for exotic crops or plants whose medicinal or dyeing properties were well known. This workshop aims to reflect on those areas of the garden dedicated to “useful” plants, such as those used for cooking (including spices), medicine, cosmetics or art. Presentations on gardens, plants or even books and sources of any kind that refer to them are welcome, as long as they date from before the 19th century.

Submission guidelines

The organizers of this workshop (Maddalena Bellavitis and Maria Muñoz Benavent) invite papers that address issues that can shed new light and provide new interdisciplinary research trajectories on any topic that can be connected with useful plants and gardens. For this reason, we encourage submission for original and unpublished presentation proposals from any discipline, within both Humanities and Science.

The workshop will be in English, to be considered for participation please provide a one-page-document (pdf), consisting of a proposal for a 20-minute presentation, and a short bio.

Applications may be sent to maddalena.bellavitis@gmail.it by November 30, 2025 (participants will be notified in December 2025).

Scientific coordination

Maddalena Bellavitis, Doctor Europaeus (2007) and past recipient of a Marie Curie Fellowship, divides her museum and academic career between the Center for Research and Restoration of the Museums of France and the Università degli Studi di Udine. She has numerous research interests, and her varied publications—a monograph, essays and articles—include an earlier volume on the topic of making copies.