I giardini dei padri Garden Archaeology alla Certosa di Calci (Pisa)

The Certosa of Calci is a monumental monastery founded in 1366 by Carthusian monks and located near the city of Pisa (Italy). During its long life, the Charterhouse has experienced various transformations until its abandonment in the 1970s; nowadays, it hosts the Natural History Museum of the University of Pisa, a popular touristic attraction. Since 2018, the MAPPA Laboratory of the University of Pisa has been conducting archaeological research on the complex as part of a project finalised for its restoration. The main objective was the investigation of the gardens of the monks to determine modifications in their design, changes in the plant typologies, and their relationships over time. The investigations focused on three different monks’ cell gardens (the Prior’s, the Apothecary’s and the Master’s), and stratigraphic excavations were combined with archaeobotanical and archaeozoological analyses. The most representative is Prior’s meditation garden, where the excavation explored the phases prior to the construction of the building (14th century), the 18th-century renovation in its current form, and the abandonment of the garden at the end of the 20th century. Pollen analysis has enabled us to reconstruct a rich group of herbal essences characterising an ever-blooming garden, with flowers and ornamental plants, such as roses, lilac and water lilies, as well as vegetables and medicinal plants. According to charcoal and fruit-remain analyses, the Charterhouse exploited local hilly woods, satisfying its fuel requirements with maquis and thermophilous de-ciduous forest. Agrarian practices included the cultivation of fruit trees, such as chestnut, olive, almond, and vine.