About Hollisyard
Hollisyard is a reference focused on courtyard garden design and horticulture within Italy's historic urban fabric. The material here addresses the specific conditions of enclosed masonry courtyards — the cortile, chiostro, and similar semi-private spaces found within palazzi, converted convents, and civic buildings across Italian cities.
The three principal topics are planting strategies for low-light confined spaces, drainage management within heritage-constrained environments, and privacy screening without structural intervention. These are not abstract design questions; they arise consistently in any attempt to establish or improve a courtyard garden within a building subject to heritage protection, shared ownership, or tenancy restrictions.
Background
The notes published here draw on direct observation of working courtyard gardens in Florence, Rome, Bologna, and Genoa over the past twelve years. The cities were selected because they represent different conditions: Florence has a high density of Renaissance-era residential palazzi with relatively small, regularly shaped cortili; Rome has a wider range of typologies, from baroque apartment block courtyards to post-unification institutional spaces; Bologna's portico fabric creates covered courtyards with distinctive light and moisture conditions; and Genoa's caruggi offer some of the most extreme cases of confined urban planting, with courtyards as small as 4 by 5 metres enclosed between buildings six to eight storeys tall.
The emphasis throughout is on approaches that have been observed in use, rather than approaches recommended in theory. Where a method has not been directly observed functioning in the conditions described, this is noted.
Scope
Hollisyard does not cover open-ground Italian garden design, villa garden history, or general horticultural advice. It is specifically concerned with the intersection of horticulture, heritage regulation, and the physical constraints of enclosed urban courtyards. Readers looking for general planting guidance or Italian garden history will find better resources elsewhere; the reference section in each article links to authoritative external sources for those wider subjects.
Contact and Company Details
Hollisyard
Via della Vigna Nuova 18
50123 Florence (FI), Italy
VAT: IT04872310483
Registro delle Imprese di Firenze n. 04872310483
Tel: +39 347 123 4567
Email: info@hollisyard.eu
Send an Enquiry
For questions about a specific courtyard situation — planting, drainage, or screening — use the form below. Include a brief description of the space: approximate dimensions, wall height, orientation, sun hours per day, and any known heritage or tenancy constraints. Enquiries without this basic context cannot be usefully answered.
Response time is typically two to four working days. Enquiries are answered in English or Italian.
Disclaimer
The information on this site is provided for general reference. It does not constitute professional horticultural, architectural, legal, or planning advice. Before undertaking any work within a listed building or in a space subject to heritage protection, consult the relevant Soprintendenza and, where required, a qualified professional with relevant Italian credentials. Hollisyard accepts no liability for decisions taken on the basis of material published here.