Le Citron – Variations on the lemon theme
On Monday 22 April 2024 from 5.00 pm to 7.00 pm, the French Academy in Rome – Villa Medici will organize an event on the theme of Lemon, a citrus fruit that has been particularly studied, cultivated and has always been functional to the history of the Villa.
The director of Villa Medici, Sam Stourdzé, has in fact invited the two Michelin star chef Alexandre Gauthier (La Grenouillère, Pas-de-Calais) and part of his team to Rome to cook together with Arturo Franzino, chef in residence at Villa Doctors. The public will be offered a tasting of compositions on the theme of citrus fruits, followed by a visit to the apartment of Cardinal Ferdinando De Medici where Le Citron (1880) by Manet is currently exhibited, on exceptional loan from the Musée d’Orsay on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of Impressionism.
The public will also be able to attend the performance of the Neapolitan singer Enzo “Tammuriello” Esposito with La fronna ‘e limone, a melismatic agricultural song that will resonate from one end of the orchard to the other. The artist is part of the “femminielli”, a historic community in the working-class neighborhoods of Naples that brings together transgenders, transvestites and homosexuals who take on so-called feminine characteristics with panache.
The 7 hectares of gardens of Villa Medici now boast more than 300 citrus trees, including bitter oranges, lemons and cedars. Others will be added in the coming months, selected with the best citrus growers involved in the citrus rebirth project of Villa Medici, from the garden to the plate!
Tickets and reservations on the official website: www.villamedici.it