I am Maria Kosovskaya.

After a career managing large-scale infrastructure projects in Italy and Saudi Arabia, I chose to dedicate myself to landscape design, turning a long-standing personal passion into a new profession. In 2024, I completed my training as a Landscape Designer at the Monza School of Agriculture, where I developed a strong interest in Mediterranean gardens and climate-adapted planting design.

Over time, my focus shifted from the aesthetics of individual plants to the study of natural plant communities and the ecological relationships that shape them. I spent extended periods in Sicily observing Mediterranean vegetation in the field, studying how plants coexist, occupy space, and respond to climate, soil conditions, and natural disturbance.

Today, this research continues across different Mediterranean landscapes. In Umbria, I study local vegetation and its relationship with plant communities from warmer Mediterranean regions, while in Mallorca I am currently exploring the flora and plant communities of the Balearic Islands as part of a private landscape project.

My design process always begins with understanding the place. Before drawing a garden, I study spontaneous vegetation, scientific literature, and regional vegetation classifications, combining research with direct field observation. Only after understanding which plant communities belong to a landscape and which ecological processes sustain them do I begin designing.

In 2025, I founded TERRA ASCOLTATA to create naturalistic Mediterranean gardens that are drought-resilient, ecologically grounded, and deeply connected to their surroundings. My goal is to translate ecological principles into contemporary landscapes that require fewer resources, support biodiversity, and become richer and more meaningful over time.