Gardens and orchards in Northern Italy during the Middle Ages

The contexts of gardens (of various kinds) are rare and problematic in archaeology. Often the faint traces of these structures are misunderstood and, consequently, many findings are lost. From the archaeobotanical point of view, an exemplary case for the Middle Ages of Northern Italy is the Duchess Garden in Ferrara (15th c.): thanks to an accurate excavation, it returned valuable data for the reconstruction of a fine “green corner” of the Este family. In Modena, a small space of the Bishop’s Palace (12th-13th c.) has unveiled fruit trees and herbs available to the curia of the city. In the rural village of Nogara (9th-11th c.) archaeobotanical analysis provided elements to descri- be small kitchen gardens. In Ferrara, a study on peri-urban vegetable gardens and orchards (11th c.) is in progress: in a systematic manner, numerous samples of pollen, seeds/fruits and woods were taken. Preliminary data are meaningfull and provide an interesting list of cultivable taxa. Among the fruit trees: Cydonia oblonga, Morus nigra, Prunus avium, Pyrus communis, Vitis vinifera,.... Among the vegetables/aromatics: Anethum graveolens, Antrhriscus cerefolium, Beta vulgaris, Cannabis sativa, Capparis spinosa, Crocus sativus, Cucumis melo, Cynara cardunculus, Linum usitatissimum, Papaver somniferum, Pastinaca sativa, Pimpinella anisum, Vicia faba,.... Ornamental plants like columbines, iris, roses, violets and vervain are also found. The finds of woods reveal that the fences were built especially with oak and ash.