Interactive nature park · 2008 · Treviso, Veneto

Talking Tree Park

The Talking Tree Park (Parco degli Alberi Parlanti) is an interactive multimedia experience set within the historic grounds of the nineteenth-century Villa Margherita Manfrin in Treviso, offering experiential paths designed for children, schools, and families. Created by Gruppo Alcuni and inaugurated in 2008, the theme park integrates digital storytelling and immersive outdoor installations into the parkland of a listed neoclassical villa, respecting the pre-existing architectural and landscape heritage while transforming the space into an educational and recreational destination freely accessible to the public.

At a glance

Type: Multimedia theme park within a historic villa park
Period: Villa park: late 18th century; interactive installation inaugurated 2008
Creator: Gruppo Alcuni (theme park concept and installation)
Host estate: Villa Margherita Manfrin
Location: Viale G. G. Felissent 56, 31100 Treviso, Veneto, Italy
Coordinates: 45.6907° N, 12.2591° E
Access: Freely accessible green area; interactive installations at managed entry points
Telephone: +39 0422 694046

Overview

The Talking Tree Park occupies the expansive grounds of Villa Margherita Manfrin, a neoclassical estate on the western edge of Treviso originally designed by the Venetian architect Giannantonio Selva — best known as the architect of the Teatro La Fenice in Venice — and built between 1780 and 1783. The villa and its park are a municipal cultural asset, and their public green area provides the setting for one of the most distinctive interactive nature experiences in the Veneto region.

Gruppo Alcuni, a Treviso-based multimedia production company specialising in content for children, transformed the estate's parkland in 2008 into an immersive narrative environment. The concept centres on trees as storytellers, using audio, visual, and digital installations embedded in the landscape to guide visitors along experiential trails without disrupting the natural and historical character of the grounds.

The park functions both as a freely accessible public green space and as an organised attraction with curated paths and multimedia content, making it one of the rare examples in Italy where heritage conservation and contemporary digital storytelling are successfully integrated.

History

Villa Margherita Manfrin was commissioned by the Marquis Girolamo Manfrin and built between 1780 and 1783 to designs by Giannantonio Selva, who would later design the Teatro La Fenice in Venice (1792). Selva produced here a refined example of Veneto neoclassical villa architecture set within a landscaped park characteristic of the English garden movement then fashionable among the northern Italian nobility.

In 1896 the estate was sold to the English entrepreneur Adolfo Cristiano Lichtenberg, who renamed it Villa Margherita in honour of his wife Margaret Eleanor Bume, an English noblewoman. The name Margherita Manfrin combines both the original Manfrin identity and the subsequent Lichtenberg dedication, preserving the dual heritage of the property.

Following the villa's transfer to the municipality of Treviso, the park was opened to the public. Gruppo Alcuni inaugurated the Talking Tree Park installation in 2008 after renovating the park infrastructure and embedding the interactive system, creating a new cultural purpose for the historic grounds while respecting their spatial character.

What you see

Visitors entering the park encounter a large landscaped green space with mature trees, pathways, and the restored bulk of the neoclassical villa as a backdrop. The interactive installations are distributed throughout the park, activating as visitors follow guided trails: trees speak through embedded audio, characters from Gruppo Alcuni's animated productions appear at specific points, and digital elements transform the natural environment into a narrative landscape.

The trails are designed to accommodate different age groups and durations, with content targeted primarily at children between four and ten years of age, school groups, and family visitors. The installations coexist with the historic garden design, maintaining sight lines and planting compositions that reflect the original neoclassical layout.

The villa building itself, dating from the late eighteenth century, is visible throughout the park and provides an architectural anchor that contextualises the modern installations within a heritage setting of genuine historical depth.

Cultural significance

The Talking Tree Park demonstrates an effective model for the adaptive reuse of historic villa estates as public cultural resources. By housing a contemporary multimedia experience within a preserved neoclassical landscape, the project shows how heritage sites can generate new forms of public engagement without compromising their historical character.

Gruppo Alcuni's integration of their animation and storytelling expertise into the physical environment of a listed monument represents a notable example of the creative economy contributing to the preservation and revitalisation of Italian cultural heritage.

Practical information

Address: Viale G. G. Felissent 56, 31100 Treviso TV, Italy
Access: Park green area freely accessible; check official website for interactive trail hours and booking
Telephone: +39 0422 694046
Website: live.alcuni.it/home-parco

Getting there

The park is on Viale G. G. Felissent in western Treviso. From Treviso railway station, bus lines connecting towards the Fiera district pass along Viale Felissent; the journey takes approximately 10–15 minutes. By car, from the A27 motorway exit at Treviso Nord, follow signs for the city centre and then Viale Felissent. The park is also reachable on foot or by bicycle from the historic centre in about 20 minutes along the riverside paths.

Sources & resources

Official website: live.alcuni.it — Parco degli Alberi Parlanti
Municipality of Treviso — Villa Margherita: comune.treviso.it
Cultural Heritage Online: culturalheritageonline.com