The University of Padua Botanical Garden presents the exhibition ALBERI! (Trees!), conceived by M9 - Museum of the 20th Century - located in Mestre - Venice. It features several drawings by Guido Scarabottolo, together with some narratives of the landscape architect Annalisa Metta, the arborist Giovanni Morelli and the scientific communicator Daniele Zovi.

The exhibition is composed of 30 (+1) stages among trees that have always been in our peninsula, as well as others arrived from distant lands - recently or in very ancient times. The 31st stage is what enriches the exhibition: an illustration by Scarabottolo and a story by Daniele Zovi portraying Goethe's Palm. This is the oldest plant of Padua Botanical Garden - placed in the ground in 1585 - which enchanted the German poet during his trip to Italy in 1786.

From the oversized Ficus in Palermo, to the upside-down Fig Tree in the Temple of Mercury in Baia, from the only surviving sequoia of the Vajont dam collapse, to the Fake Tree symbol of Christmas, the exhibition presents true wonders of nature dealing with travel, exploration, trade, political projects, imperial dreams. Trees that speak of who we were and who we have become, and that might open up some perspectives on the Country we would like to inhabit.

The drawings are collected in the book that gives the exhibition its title, a Marsilio Arte editorial product on sale at the bookshop during the exhibition period. ALBERI! opens to the public on Thursday 9th March at 6 p.m. at the presence of the authors.

The exhibition, which is included in the entry ticket, can be visited during the opening hours of the Botanical Garden until 7th January 2024.