The labyrinth opened last year in May, the labyrinth has a star-shaped covering 7 hectares. It is located in a large area populated by many thousands of bamboo species and bordered by towering rows of poplars. Inspired by the classic form of the Roman labyrinths, with four interconnected fields that are arranged around a central square, it introduces crossroads and bifurcations. By contrast in Roman labyrinths there was only one path.
Designed together with the architects Pier Carlo Bontempi and Davide Dutto and part of the prestigious circuit of the Castles of the Duchy of Parma and Piacenza, the Masone labyrinth stretches over three kilometers. The varieties of bamboo in Masone were imported and cultivated for a long time to be perfectly acclimatized and integrated into the local landscape. The choice of the bamboo is due to the higher rate of growth than the traditional essence of the maze, boxwood. Each corridor is three meters wide.
In addition to a Catholic chapel, inside the park there are about five thousand square meters of space devoted to culture: a museum, which houses a permanent collection, a large library and spaces for events, concerts, exhibitions and other cultural events.
The main task of Franco Maria Ricci Foundation, owner of the Labyrinth, is to preserve books and the art collections of its creator, encouraging cultural activities and entertainment. Another important aspect for Ricci is to promote the bamboo use –a hardy, exuberant and evergreen plant – that thanks to its its delicate green curtains, can be an appropriate “make-up” to those simple industrial halls that often ruin the Italian landscape.
