Orticolario 2026 to center on dreams and imagination at Villa Erba

Orticolario will return Oct. 1-4, 2026, to Villa Erba on Lake Como for its 16th edition, with a theme built around dreams, illusion and imagination. The event will feature more than 250 exhibitors, seven thematic gardens, new installations and a cultural program tied to landscape culture and local charitable support.

Why it matters: - Orticolario is positioning the 2026 edition as more than a garden show, using landscape, art and design to promote a wider view of nature and culture. - The event also supports charitable and social initiatives through its fundraising model, linking the public program to local community impact. - The 2026 theme, en rêverie, shifts the focus from wonder to imagination and dreamlike exploration.

What happened: - Orticolario announced its sixteenth edition, en rêverie, for Oct. 1-4, 2026, at Villa Erba in Cernobbio, on Lake Como. - The event will occupy the historic park and exhibition center of the nineteenth-century villa. - More than 250 Italian and international exhibitors will participate. - The program will include seven thematic gardens selected through the international Creative Spaces competition. - The winner of that competition receives the Foglia d’oro del Lago di Como award. - Seven site-specific installations will be built around the 2026 theme. - The cultural program will include talks, performances, experiences and workshops. - Dedicated activities are planned for children and young people.

The details: - The 2026 theme explores rêverie as a state of drifting thought, not sleep, and frames imagination as a way to create what does not yet exist. - Hypnos, a project by Mario Mariani / Central Park and Matteo Boccardo, will anchor the central pavilion with support from Fondazione Banca Popolare di Milano. - Phantasos, a botanical installation by Mario Mariani / Central Park and Matteo Boccardo, will spotlight unusual plant species with rare forms and survival strategies. - Les imaginaires will transform the atrium of Villa Erba through the work of artist Lau Cabantous and ethnobotanist Lucia Papponi, with support from Taroni. - Luigi Serafini will serve as guest of honor for Orticolario 2026. - Serafini is known for the Codex Seraphinianus, a cult book filled with fictional organisms, architectures and botanical forms rendered in asemic script. - The event follows previous guest-of-honor collaborations with Michele De Lucchi and Antonia Klugmann. - The central pavilion will remain the cultural core of the event for a third consecutive year. - In 2026, the cultural agora in Hypnos will take shape through a bamboo structure designed by CanyaLab. - Confirmed guests include Luigi Serafini, science writer Alessandra Viola, author Christophe Ségas and tree chronicler, poet and photographer Tiziano Fratus. - More workshops will be held in Villa Antica, adding a more intimate setting to the program. - The park will also host musical performances and theatrical interventions. - Orticolario’s exhibitor mix spans rare nurseries, botanical rarities, bonsai, artisanal techniques, gastronomic production, biodesign and experiments in urban biodiversity. - Organizers say the selection emphasizes innovation, research, quality, sustainability and contemporary design.

Between the lines: - Orticolario is deepening its identity as a cross-disciplinary cultural event, not just a horticultural fair. - The 2026 program leans heavily on artists, writers and thinkers to broaden the event’s appeal beyond plant buyers and garden enthusiasts. - The emphasis on fantastical plants, asemic writing and immersive installations suggests a stronger push toward spectacle and conceptual storytelling. - The recurring focus on children and teens points to an effort to build audience loyalty across generations.

What's next: - The event will run over four days in early October 2026. - The Amici di Orticolario Fund will continue supporting cultural activities at Villa Erba and five local associations. - Contributions will be distributed through the Provincial Foundation of the Como Community. - Funds raised during the event and across the year will continue supporting projects tied to landscape culture and local philanthropy.

The bottom line: - Orticolario 2026 is aiming to turn Lake Como into a stage for plants, art and imagination, while keeping its charitable mission at the center.