13/04/2021
Taroudant in Morocco’s arid south, is, quoting landscape architects , “a Mediterranean without the sea, a world of earth and wind, of farming and irrigation, of fresh running water, of fruit swollen with sugar and sun, and fragrant flowers.” These words were in a book I picked up my last visit to in March.
Ossart and Maurières are the creative geniuses behind the design and landscaping of Dar el Hossoun and its remarkable gardens, but its spirit as a refashioned eco-guesthouse some years ago was thanks to Ollivier Vera whom I have learned today much to my profound sadness, has just passed away, at far too young an age for someone who had so many projects and productive years ahead of him.
One of the greatest sources of pride in my work is discovering value where it is not immediately apparent. Applying a sense of wonderment and curiosity about the world to reveal places and people worth caring about that are often overlooked.
My growing appreciation for this oft-ignored corner of Morocco was thanks in part to Ollivier, who welcomed me on my first research visit as a friend into his world.
The last years of his life were spent exploring, making connections and forging friendships in areas where I would not have known to look, and he shared these discoveries with the same generosity and humility that guided his work.
He made of Dar el Hossoun a refuge worthy of the remarkable vision of its founders, a model for how travel and tourism in Morocco can weave together the threads of authenticity, tradition, nature and community.
For myself, here I found wonderment at the play between landscape, climate, water, botany and human ingenuity gathered over centuries to harness these elements. Dar el Hossoun in the past few years has become my getaway place for calm and contemplation, and I can only express my gratitude for what Ollivier has created and what I hope will endure despite his loss.
My thoughts today are with him, his family and the family of Dar el Hossoun with whom I share this terrible sense of loss. Sadness, writes Khalil Gibran, is but merely a wall that separates two gardens. Rest In Peace.
