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This site-specific lecture will explore the interconnection of the statuary within the Wilderness Garden, the Formal Garden, and the Dark Wood of Life through the lens of leading academic expert Joseph Luzzi. Joseph Luzzi (PhD, Yale) is Professor of Comparative Literature at Bard College, the author of five books including My Two Italies, a New York Times Editors’ Choice selection, and In a Dark Wood: What Dante Taught Me About Grief, Healing, and the Mysteries of Love, a Vanity Fair “Must-Read” selection that has been translated into multiple languages. This lecture is made possible by the generous underwriting support of Underwriters, Frederick and Alexandra Peters, and the Friends of Wethersfield. Pre-registration is required and tickets are limited. Cost is $50 for General Admission and $40 for Wethersfield Members. A brief reception will follow the event at which Prosecco and Italian cheese will be available. Arrive early, and see the “Little Wilderness,” currently under restoration. Professor Luzzi will then speak about the magnificent gardens of Wethersfield abound with beautiful sculptures of Greco-Roman icons like the mythic Hercules and the star-crossed lovers Orpheus and Eurydice with a quote from Virgil inscribed beneath them, while also gesturing toward the great horticultural traditions of the Italian Renaissance. Taken together, these ancient and Renaissance symbols all tell a story. Professor Luzzi will consider how the statues and grounds of Wethersfield relate to fundamental human issues like love and death, rebirth and hope, and even crisis and grief – what Dante called the “dark wood” of life. He will examine the possible connections between the layout, symbolism, and design of the gardens and Dante’s groundbreaking poem on the state of the human soul, The Divine Comedy, which charts a journey out of the dark wood and into the light of the stelle, stars.