BELIEVING IN TOMORROW
In the garden of Rohuna
WORDS AND PHOTOGRAPHY: BEATRIX TORMA
Two gardens filled with dreams, magic, and sweat stretch across a valley overlooking the Atlantic Ocean in Morocco, close to Tangier. The gardens were created by Milanese philosopher, writer, and landscape architect Umberto Pasti, who began his Herculean task nearly thirty years ago.
The garden was literally born from the dream of a man who fell asleep under the only fig tree in the landscape and dreamed that his body had turned into a garden. He, Umberto Pasti, obeyed his dreams and set to work. The dreamer, an Italian writer, is passionate about North Africa and its people, which inspired him to create an extraordinary place for them. The green oasis of Rohuna, lying on a windswept cliff, an "archaic and solemn place," was created with sweat and hard work: hand-dug paths, endless transport of earth by mules, and the laborious and sometimes hopeless search for water bore real fruit after twenty-six years and became an exemplary community creation.
The garden was literally born from the dream of a man who fell asleep under the only fig tree in the landscape and dreamed that his body had turned into a garden. He, Umberto Pasti, obeyed his dreams and set to work. The dreamer, an Italian writer, is passionate about North Africa and its people, which inspired him to create an extraordinary place for them. The green oasis of Rohuna, lying on a windswept cliff, an "archaic and solemn place," was created with sweat and hard work: hand-dug paths, endless transport of earth by mules, and the laborious and sometimes hopeless search for water bore real fruit after twenty-six years and became an exemplary community creation.
In Pasti's interpretation, the garden is not for growing plants, but a place where men, women, children, and animals live, seeking harmony with each other and with the spirits of the earth. Umberto created a complex consisting of two gardens.
The "Garden of Consolation," surrounding houses built from local stones, is a lush oasis of drought-tolerant species from all over the world,
whose plants thrive even with little water.
The second garden, where only native species are planted, is now the world's largest collection of Moroccan plant species. The gardens are managed by the "G.O.R. - Garden of Rohuna" association, which provides work for the residents of Rohuna village from the income generated by visitors and donations. They have opened a road for ambulances, renovated a school, set up a toy manufacturing and furniture restoration workshop, and planted an orchard around the mosque.
Umberto Pasti never stopped collecting. He collects ceramics and furniture, pieces of old crafts, art fragments, textiles, and rare books. In the rooms of his summer and winter stone houses, designed for relaxation and reflection, the ancient and unique spirit of cultures and objects permeates everything. His passion for Moroccan Islamic culture is not an end in itself. What he loves about objects is that they express the culture of those who created them. A people's identity is expressed in their craftsmanship, in the things they create. We, of course,
highlight the heritage of cement tile making, which is deeply rooted in Moroccan culture.
Cement tiles and zellige tiles are defining elements of Islamic art and architecture. These coverings, which form part of cultural identity, have been used for centuries to decorate palaces, mosques, and homes.
In Pasti's interpretation, the garden is not for growing plants, but a place where men, women, children, and animals live, seeking harmony with each other and with the spirits of the earth. Umberto created a complex consisting of two gardens.
The "Garden of Consolation," surrounding houses built from local stones, is a lush oasis of drought-tolerant species from all over the world,
whose plants thrive even with little water.
The second garden, where only native species are planted, is now the world's largest collection of Moroccan plant species. The gardens are managed by the "G.O.R. - Garden of Rohuna" association, which provides work for the residents of Rohuna village from the income generated by visitors and donations. They have opened a road for ambulances, renovated a school, set up a toy manufacturing and furniture restoration workshop, and planted an orchard around the mosque.
Umberto Pasti never stopped collecting. He collects ceramics and furniture, pieces of old crafts, art fragments, textiles, and rare books. In the rooms of his summer and winter stone houses, designed for relaxation and reflection, the ancient and unique spirit of cultures and objects permeates everything. His passion for Moroccan Islamic culture is not an end in itself. What he loves about objects is that they express the culture of those who created them. A people's identity is expressed in their craftsmanship, in the things they create. We, of course,
highlight the heritage of cement tile making, which is deeply rooted in Moroccan culture.
Cement tiles and zellige tiles are defining elements of Islamic art and architecture. These coverings, which form part of cultural identity, have been used for centuries to decorate palaces, mosques, and homes.
Cement tiles, which combine Arabic, Spanish, and African influences in their patterns, can be found in every environment, including the houses in Rohuna's garden, as well as Berber carpets and other handcrafted items, whose creators are proud to carry on an ancient tradition. Pasti's commitment to detail and use of folk art and architectural elements that respect Moroccan traditions also stand out.
For the designer, the Rohuna experience is much deeper than creating a plot planted with flowers and fruit trees; it is life itself, cultural identity.
But Pasti went even further: he built a community, stable human relationships, and lasting, long-term projects. He saved Iris filifolia from clearings that were being turned into parking lots and highways; he fought against the arrogance of tourism and modernity; he dug up onions from the Tangier landfill; he started an informal school in the shade of trees.
Cement tiles, which combine Arabic, Spanish, and African influences in their patterns, can be found in every environment, including the houses in Rohuna's garden, as well as Berber carpets and other handcrafted items, whose creators are proud to carry on an ancient tradition. Pasti's commitment to detail and use of folk art and architectural elements that respect Moroccan traditions also stand out.
For the designer, the Rohuna experience is much deeper than creating a plot planted with flowers and fruit trees; it is life itself, cultural identity.
But Pasti went even further: he built a community, stable human relationships, and lasting, long-term projects. He saved Iris filifolia from clearings that were being turned into parking lots and highways; he fought against the arrogance of tourism and modernity; he dug up onions from the Tangier landfill; he started an informal school in the shade of trees.
He considers nurturing the talents of others to be his most important task. Nadim, a villager whose destiny was to become a shepherd like most of his peers, was sent by Umberto to Tangier to learn carpentry. After studying carpentry Najim returned to Rohuna and founded "NOW on the Ocean". The furnitures are made mainly from strawberry tree branches. The designs, created by Umberto Pasti, are inspired by rustic English 18th century furniture. Their tangled forms and rich colours reflect the wildness and joy of local Rohuna.
The garden of Rohuna is a dream, an obsession, unlike any of Umberto's other gardens. Its creator brought it to life with the energy of a writer, because Rohuna was a blank slate. It was not possible to design a garden because there was no water, no soil, nothing. The lack gave birth to visionary, daring dreams from which Umberto Pasti's realized novel was born.
"The two things I love best in the world are writing and making gardens. They are two different aspects of craftsmanship, but both require you to be very humble in the face of something enormous – nature in one case, and imagination in the other."
Sources:
https://www.gardenofrohuna.com/
https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/gallery/umberto-pasti-home-morocco
https://www.repubblica.it/green-and-blue/dossier/tutti-per-la-terra/2025/04/17/news/pmberto_pasti_botanico_giardino-424126897/
https://medomed.org/es/2021/umberto-pasti-el-jardinero-onirico/
He considers nurturing the talents of others to be his most important task. Nadim, a villager whose destiny was to become a shepherd like most of his peers, was sent by Umberto to Tangier to learn carpentry. After studying carpentry Najim returned to Rohuna and founded "NOW on the Ocean". The furnitures are made mainly from strawberry tree branches. The designs, created by Umberto Pasti, are inspired by rustic English 18th century furniture. Their tangled forms and rich colours reflect the wildness and joy of local Rohuna.
The garden of Rohuna is a dream, an obsession, unlike any of Umberto's other gardens. Its creator brought it to life with the energy of a writer, because Rohuna was a blank slate. It was not possible to design a garden because there was no water, no soil, nothing. The lack gave birth to visionary, daring dreams from which Umberto Pasti's realized novel was born.
"The two things I love best in the world are writing and making gardens. They are two different aspects of craftsmanship, but both require you to be very humble in the face of something enormous – nature in one case, and imagination in the other."
Sources:
https://www.gardenofrohuna.com/
https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/gallery/umberto-pasti-home-morocco
https://www.repubblica.it/green-and-blue/dossier/tutti-per-la-terra/2025/04/17/news/pmberto_pasti_botanico_giardino-424126897/
https://medomed.org/es/2021/umberto-pasti-el-jardinero-onirico/
