ABSTRACT
The productive professional life of Pietro Porcinai spanned more than 50 years, a career that at times required foreign travel of significant length. In the field of landscape and garden design, the Italian situation presented a dilemma for Pietro Porcinai during his formative years and those during which he sought professional standing. Intensive practical training and familiarity with the world of the nursery were common among many twentieth-century landscape architects; in this regard one could mention, among others, Pietro Porcinai’s Danish friend Carl-Theodor Sorensen. Different contexts demanded different approaches—from the agrarian countryside of Siena to the more refined landscape on the Florentine hills; from the scenic view of lake and mountains on the Swiss border to the open view of the Tyrrhenian sea. The relationship between Porcinai and the Zegna family exemplified his relationship to the industrial class.
