Chasing the Rose - An evening with Andrea di Robilant in Wellington

03 February 2015

Chasing the Rose: An evening with Andrea di Robilant in Wellington

Join Italian historian and author Andrea di Robilant as he talks about his fascinating book Chasing the Rose: An Adventure in the Venetian Countryside in Wellington on February 26.

Andrea di Robilant will discuss his search for the identity of a mysterious old rose, a journey that took him through the Venetian Countryside and into some of the most exquisite rose gardens in Europe today.

The search to uncover the identity of the anonymous rose began when di Robilant’s description of a pink rose in his 2008 biography Lucia: A Venetian Life in the Age of Napoleon led to an invitation to meet the doyenne of European roses, Sra. Eleonora Garlant. Could this unnamed rose possibly be the long-lost Rose Bichonne, a China rose that nineteenth-century growers cultivated but which had apparently disappeared since?

Andrea di Robilant was born in Italy and educated at Columbia University, where he specialised in international affairs. He is the author of three previous books, Venetian Navigators, A Venetian Affair and Lucia: A Venetian Life in the Age of Napoleon. He currently lives in Rome with his wife and two sons.

Andrea di Robilant in Wellington

Join Andrea di Robilant for his only Wellington appearance on Thursday 26 February at 6.30pm, Old St. Paul’s, 34 Mulgrave St. Wellington.

Tickets are $22 or $20 for HRNZI, NZRS and Book Council members. Purchase tickets online: www.bookcouncil.org.nz, or via the direct ticket link: http://bit.ly/1z7b3Fv

The event is presented by Heritage Roses New Zealand Incorporated and the New Zealand Book Council.

For further information, contact New Zealand Book Council Communications Managers, Rachel O’Neill Rachel@bookcouncil.org.nz or Catherine Cradwick CatherineC@bookcouncil.org.nz

Andrea di Robilant in Christchurch

Andrea di Robilant will also appear in Christchurch on Wednesday 25 February, 6.30pm at the Christchurch Botanic Gardens Visitor Centre. Take an optional guided tour of the Heritage Rose Garden at 4.30pm before settling in to listen to this marvellous storyteller. For further information and to book visit http://wordchristchurch.co.nz