Italian designer opens free Christmas park in Escàs
Pasqualina Gaultier transforms her Escàs garden into a nightly, themed festive display with a miniature train; visitors can make donations for.
Key Points
- Free public Christmas park in Escàs, open 18:00–22:00 daily until 9 January.
- Six themed scenes with a miniature train linking prehistoric scenes to a snowy Andorra village.
- Donations accepted for Meritxell Hospital to support children's mental health rehabilitation.
- Created by Pasqualina Gaultier as a gesture of gratitude after her husband’s stroke and to revive Christmas values.
“There’s a child who comes every day with his father to greet a talking elf. He’s eight. A little girl had a sick mother and we gave her a special gift—her face lit up. An elderly couple cuddled in front of the fireplace we built. All of that is simply good,” says Pasqualina Gaultier.
An Italian who moved to Andorra three years ago, Gaultier turns the garden of her home in Escàs into an open Christmas park each year. She does it as a gesture of thanks for the warm welcome she received and with the aim of reviving the spirit of the season. The display is free and open to anyone who respects the surroundings; it runs daily from 18:00 to 22:00 until 9 January. Local schools regularly bring children to visit.
Gaultier, a designer with experience organising events in Calabria, arranges six themed scenes along the garden up to the house entrance. The most striking is a small train that travels through the displays: it begins amid dinosaurs and marine animals symbolising the origins of life and finishes in a snowy village representing Andorra. Throughout the park she has placed seating so visitors can pause and enjoy a peaceful, welcoming space.
This year’s edition includes a charitable element after a difficult period for Gaultier’s family. Her husband suffered a stroke in May and was treated at Meritxell Hospital; he has since returned home and the family is grateful for the care he received. Gaultier contacted the hospital and the government to enable visitors to make donations; proceeds will go to Meritxell Hospital to support children with mental health conditions undergoing rehabilitation.
Gaultier describes herself as “believing but realistic” and says she wants to recover Christmas values such as hope and children’s wonder, which she feels have been overshadowed by excessive consumerism. “I have no pretensions, only gratitude to those around me, and the only way I can give back is with what I know how to do,” she says. She hopes the small, selfless gesture might inspire others in turn.
Original Sources
This article was aggregated from the following Catalan-language sources: