Il Giardino Fantastico di Fiorenzo Pilia

Hidden next to a regional road close to Cagliari, this sculpture garden is the brainchild of artist Fiorenzo Pilia. The garden is an allegorical tale of Mother Earth, and what is at stake when nature is thrown out of balance. The world’s religious and political forces often bring imbalance to the organic flow of events.

Pilia had no formal artistic training when he began creating sculptures in the early 90s, at 60 years old. He owned an orchard outside the village of San Sperate in Sardinia, and began filling it with his sculptural works made from recycled materials and industrial scraps. 

Inside il Giardino Fantastico (the Fantastic Garden), Pilia uses the analogy of a woman as a creative and progressive source that brings equilibrium to the world. The centerpiece of the garden is the figure of a reclining woman that measures approximately 15 meters (almost 49 feet) long. Pilia spent four years building the piece, which consists of a chicken wire base covered with foam and paint.

Most of the sculptures are variations on the theme of balance. Interestingly, some sculptures have a practical function. A rooster doubles as a fridge, and the giant woman’s legs house a bedroom and a dressing room.