Starting in September 2021, the Umbra Institute assumed management of the urban garden known as “Orto Sole” (pronounced “orto-soul-ay”) to develop it as a living laboratory for the Institute’s Food, Sustainability and Environment program.
Until recently, Orto Sole was a mostly forgotten steep agricultural plot on Perugia’s north facing hillside. Several years ago, a non-profit association was created to re-develop this area as an urban garden: its members rebuilt the garden’s terraces, pruned the grape vines and ageing fruit trees, and started hosting community groups in the beautiful green space just below the city’s most famous panorama – Porta Sole.
The Institute will use the green urban hillside as its “outdoor classroom”: continuing the garden’s use as a didactic space, exploring new agricultural technologies, and sponsoring community-engaged learning projects with local partners. In development now are collaborations with nearby elementary and middle schools, a local non-profit organization that distributes food to those in need, and the Department of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences of the prestigious University of Perugia.
Opportunities for Teaching & Learning
The location and position of Orto Sole provides both advantages and challenges. The advantages are its central location: the garden is located in the historic center, just short walk from Perugia’s main piazza (where the Umbra Institute is located). The challenges are its orientation and topography. It is a relatively steep hillside which will require significant terracing to cultivate, and it faces north and is therefore often in the shade. However, it is precisely these challenges that make Orto Sole an ideal project for landscape and agriculture students from the University of Perugia, and Umbra students in the FSE program to work together on the sustainable development of this unique urban garden.
To learn more about Umbra’s projects about Orto Sole, click
here 
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