This paper examines the motivations that drive foreign gardeners to cultivate a garden in Lombard municipalities. Motivations underlying urban gardening are inspired by social, health, environmental and food-related benefits. As the regional government has legally recognized the importance of urban gardens and financed their realization, the Lombard municipalities have promoted many of these practices in their territories over recent years. However, neither the region nor the municipalities have created a database of these practices or collected information on the motivations that lead people in general – and foreign citizens in particular – to cultivate locally. This paper aims to fill that gap by presenting some results gained from the elaboration of two questionnaires sent to both the municipalities and the gardeners themselves.