A centuries-old fig tree in Umberto Pasti’s garden in Morocco (“Eden Revisited”/Photo by Ngoc Minh Ngo)
Annie Selke ‘Anatolia’ throw ($430), annieselke.com
Twenty years ago, Italian writer and horticulturalist Umberto Pasti was lured to the remote village of Rohuna in northern Morocco by a friend who promised a place where no nazrani, no foreigner, had ever set foot before. Pasti was enchanted and set about building a home and expansive garden there, a transformative experience he recounts in Eden Revisited: A Garden in Northern Morocco (Rizzoli, 2019).
When gardeners are writers, the gifts of beauty are twofold: magnificent swaths of earth coupled by words generous enough to capture it. “Around here the winds themselves have identities,” Pasti writes. “The sea wind is a giant with icy breath. Even the trees—every apricot tree has its states of mind, every plum tree its shifts of mood.” With every sun-dappled image of ancient olive trees or field of flowers, Pasti invites readers to share his piece of paradise.
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The candy-striped ceiling in La Di Dar, decorator Gavin Houghton’s Tangier hideaway ("Inside Tangier"/Photographer: Guido Taroni)
The city of Tangier is as complex as the ancient tapestries, tile mosaics, and carved lattices that adorn its homes. Over centuries, it has been Carthaginian, Phoenician, Roman, Vandal, Berber, Arab, Portuguese, English, Spanish, and, finally, Moroccan—each era leaving its ornamental imprint. It’s fitting then, that in his new book, Inside Tangier: Houses & Gardens (Vendome, 2019), interior designer Nicolò Castellini Baldissera tells the city’s story through its décor.
Fresco-painted walls in the former home of Pierre Bergé and Yves Saint Laurent in Tangier (“Inside Tangier”/Photo by Guido Taroni)
The iconic home of Yves Saint Laurent is here, as well as the ornate Moorish palace owned by Woolworth heiress and legendary hostess Barbara Hutton. Not everyone we meet in Inside Tangier is famous, but what we do find is an artistic community with international sophistication united by love of place.
Decor & Jewelry Inspired by Morocco
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By Kirk Reed Forrester and Terri Robertson
Featured Books
Inside Tangier: Houses & Gardens by Niccolò Castellini Baldissera with photography by Guido Taroni (Vendome, 2019)
Eden Revisited: A Garden in Northern Morocco by Umberto Pasti and Ngoc Minh Ngo (Rizzoli New York, 2019)
Read Next: A Moroccan Dream Hotel & Gardens
Located in the center of Marrakech and dating back to the 18th century, La Mamounia’s lush grounds reflect the ancient Islamic ideal of the garden as an earthly paradise appealing to all the senses. See more.
