CLEOPATRA, BEATRICE, EMILY, APPLE BLOSSOM, SAKAE, SPARKLING BURGUNDY, RAINBOW: THEY ARE ALL CAMELLIA SASANQUA.
IT’S TEA TIME AT MERCANTEINFIERA

From 5 to 13 October, at Fiere di Parma, Camellia Sasanqua will feature at Archi e Parchi. On display will be over 20 species of the Asian flower from which a particular variety of tea is obtained.

(Parma, 30 May) – The fairytale-like universe of Archi & Parchi, the section of Mercanteinfiera (Pav. 5) dedicated to antique garden furnishings, is back. It’s an oasis of peace where visitors can let themselves be seduced by the poetic charm of nature.

In line with its evocative and relaxing vocation, Archi&Parchi will transform into a wonderful garden of camellias and its main theme will be “Tea time”: a typically British ritual interpreted in an oriental key.

The starring feature of this event will be Camellia Sasanqua, a flower of Asian origin from which a tea with an intense and slightly spiced flavour has been obtained ever since the times of China’s Zhou Dynasty (12th-3rd centuries B.C.). Visitors can taste this noble beverage – loved by more or less unexpected celebrities such as Boy George, Ozzy Osbourne, Mick Jagger and Helen Mirren – surrounded by the beauty of the camellias.

Native to China and Japan, Camellia Sasanqua is not as well known as Camellia Japonica, which arrived in Europe in the 18th century and was made famous by Alexandre Dumas’ novel “The Lady of the Camellias”, published in 1848. This novel launched a real fashion, making camellias the favourite flower and mark of elegance of Europe’s aristocracy and upper middle classes.

Only introduced in Europe in the 19th century, Camellia Sasanqua was given the nickname “Christmas Camellia”, as it blossoms in the middle of winter. In contrast to the more famous Camellias, which can have up to 100 petals, the Camellia Sasanqua flower has only 15, it blooms slowly, but is very resistant.

Cleopatra, Beatrice Emily, Apple Blossom, Sparkling Burgundy, and Rainbow are just a few of the Camellia varieties that the public will be able to see on display at Mercanteinfiera. The exhibition, curated by the landscape architect Silvia Ghirelli in collaboration with the nurseryman Paolo Zacchera, will gather over 20 species of Camellia in a blaze of poetry and colour, with each shade – red, pink, white, and variegated – conveying a specific, romantic message.

To discover these varieties and admire the beauty of this flower with soft rounded petals, symbol of devoted love, refinement and perfection, come to Mercanteinfiera from 5 to 13 October 2019.

The international Fiere di Parma exhibition is a key event for collectors and antiques, modern antiques and vintage enthusiasts. Each edition of Mercanteinfiera welcomes 1,000 exhibitors and international players to its 45,000 square metres of exhibition area, and attracts over 50,000 visitors that include enthusiasts, curious onlookers, buyers and architects from all over the world.

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PRESS OFFICE
Antonella Maia
Mercanteinfiera Press Office
Mobile +39 349 4757783
Email: antonellamaia.ufficiostampa@gmail.com