Tulipani Italiani

Take a Dutch guy who grew up surrounded by the tulip industry, with everyone from parents to cousins growing and exporting bulbs internationally, and mix it with the idea of a pick yourself field, and a girlfriend passionate to move to Italy, and thus you have Tulipani Italiani – the first field of direct collection for these wonderful flowers.

Over one hectare of land that houses 250,000 bulbs of 185 different colors and types, you can get a glimpse of color that will open the heart. It’s a place to walk, to enjoy nature, to take wonderful picture and to relax. If you get hungry you can also enjoy one of the many restaurants around.

How does it work? By making a reservation for the weekends, you can access the field equipped with scissors, walking among the tulips. You can choose your own bulb, at a cost of €1.5 per flower. You can also make your own bouquet thanks to an area complete with tables, paper and tape. The cost of entry is €3, though access for dogs is restricted for obvious reasons.

Edwin and Nitsuhe moved to Cornaredo in Autumn, and found the ideal field for tulips. They spent the month of November planting bulbs. While growing in the ground the pair have become well-known and they have received well-wishes from around the country, including the Carabinieri (Police) who now have some tulips planted in their barracks.

The story of the tulip stems from a moving love story. In a village in Persia, there was a carpet craftsman who had a daughter named Ferhad. The craftsman’s carpets were so beautiful that merchants from the capital Isfahan, wanted to buy them. While they were in the village, traders extolled the magnificence of the city and Shirin, a young apprentice betrothed to Ferhad was listening intently. Shirin was ambitious and when he learned that the capital wanted to buy these artisanal carpets, he decided to leave, promising to return to Ferhad and to make her his bride. A long time passed and Shirin did not return. Ferhad saddled a horse and set out to look for him. She traveled for a long time and she saw the city on the horizon, she was so exhausted that she fell from her horse and broke her ankle. The horse ran away and Ferhad was forced to crawl on all fours. The sharp stones on the ground left injuries that would later kill her before she even arrived at Isfahan. The earth, swallowing the tears and blood of Ferhad gave birth to large red flowers, a testimony of its love.

Tulips are a symbol of love, and in Iran, lovers still exchange tulips on special occasions. For a long time the tulip remained a secret of the Middle East until they came to Turkey and in 1554 were discovered by the Austrian ambassador. When he arrived in Paris, it become a symbol of fashion and when it finally arrived in Holland, it was subjected to intensive cultivation. The bulbs were bought buy wealthy Dutch merchants and leading to the Van der Burse Market become one of the most important trade hubs in Europe. The tulip became one of the most important flowers, and were being used even as dowries.

Now everything in Milan is ready after the rains of last week, and Tulipani Italiani has confirmed its opening date from March 28 until April 7. We can’t wait!