Posts Tagged Giardini Lago di Como

The second update of the app Gardens of Lake Como – west branch is on the AppStore.

It’s a big update, since the app is now in universal binary format, which means optimized both for iPhone and iPad, and the interface graphics, the offline map and the photos are in high resolution, up to four times better compared to the previous version.

Owners of iPad and Retina display devices such as iPhone 4, 4S and iPod Touch 4th generation will be able to enjoy the new graphics at its best.

Among the new features there’s also the ability to add a gardens to your favorites and share it by email, Facebook or Twitter.

I also added new photos taken from the boat, thanks to Marco Leoni, and from the seaplane, thanks to Cesare Baj, President of Aero Club Como.

The new graphics made the size of the app grow up to about 40mb, but fortunately Apple recently raised the download limit under 3G network from 20mb to 50mb.
There’s no such limit when under Wi-Fi.

Since the “likes” on the Facebook page dedicated to the app are still a few compared to the number of downloads, I added a link on the main screen of the app. In this way the Facebook page, where I post themed news and updates, is easier to reach.

The touristic season on Lake Como is now open: download the app and visit the gardens!

The first update of the app Gardens of Lake Como – west branch is available on the AppStore.

The update fixes a bug found on older iOS devices when exiting the online map, if they were low on memory .

Another bug, caused by the rush to be ready for the BIT fair, was about the presentation of the same text when a garden was selected from the offline map.
Thanks to my friend and mentor Alessandro for reporting it.

I’ve also updated some photos, such as the Villa del Balbianello ones, taken by Diego Cottino, a magic place where some scenes of  Star Wars: Episode II were shot.

This spring I’ll visit some gardens included in the guide, both for personal curiosity and to take new photos that will be added to the app.

Photos you’ll better appreciate in the next version of the app, where graphics will be optimized for iPad and Retina display devices such as the iPhone 4.

It’s one of the advantages of digital technologies: an app can be quickly updated, a paper guide not at all.

The initiative is appreciated and the downloads go up. Personally I think it’s reassuring seeing that, although the bad economic crisis, there still are companies and public institutions ready to support innovative projects such as this.

See you to the next update!

What’s the first word that comes to your mind when thinking about visiting a park or botanic garden?

For me it’s relax!

I don’t have any “green thumb” knowledge, so I couldn’t distinguish among different species of plants and flowers.

But the multitude of colors, the harmony between nature and the gardener’s work (I’d say art), are things you can appreciate even if you aren’t a botanical expert.

And you can appreciate them even more when there’s a unique panorama on the background, such as the one of Lake Como.

It’s a personal opinion confirmed by data, indicating a constant growth of the so-called Horticultural tourism, from abroad to Italy.

For these reasons I was pleased to work on the app Gardens of Lake Como – west branch, the digital edition of the paper guide made last year by the Chamber of Commerce of Como and the Province of Como, with contents by Great Italian Gardens.

This work gave me the chance to discover some gardens and parks I didn’t know and I haven’t visited yet.

For example The Garden of the Valley, hidden pearl of the nearby Cernobbio, maintained with passion by Mrs. Pupa Frati.

While designing the app interface I followed the essential style and the colors of the new logo made for the brand “Lago di Como”, presented at BIT in 2011, the international tourism fair held annually in Milan.

During this year’s edition of the fair, at the Regione Lombardia/Province of Como stand, there was a preview of the app about the gardens, more user friendly and updated than the paper guide, at least for those with an iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch.

I hope the app will be useful to discover the gardens of the area around Como, reaching more tourists, both from Italy and from abroad, than any paper guide could.

It’s free. Download it and, if you like it, please spread the word about it!