Now open for all, these impressive country villas and gardens were de rigueur for any self respecting Italian dynasty like the Florentine Medicis. The wealth and influence of the Medici family arose from their ownership of the prosperous Medici bank, and they amassed an impressive portfolio of rural country palaces, clustered around Florence and throughout […]
We explore five of our favourite green spaces in Italy… how many of them have you visited and which are on your to-visit list? Photos by iStock unless otherwise stated 1. Featuring Italy’s most dramatic baroque gardens, Lake Maggiore’s Isola Bella is a horticultural paradise. The Borromeo villa occupies the centre of the island, while the […]
The Botanical Gardens at Villa Taranto in Pallanzo on the shore of Lake Maggiore were established in the 1930s by a Scotsman called Neil Boyd Watson McEacharn… Photo by iStock/ Getty Images Captain Neil Boyd Watson McEacharn (1884-1964) was educated at Eton and Oxford and developed his passion for gardening after his father bought Galloway House […]
Tony Bassett of Tuscan Secrets explores a few of his favourite green spaces in Tuscany… how many have you visited? Images by PG Media; Getty Images 1 Villa Reale, Lucca Once home to Napoleon’s sister Elisa. It has several different gardens including camellias, which flower during February and March, as well as a Spanish garden, and a lemon […]
Beyond the palazzo… now, rising elegantly up the slope was a series of manicured terraces, and a grand stairway climbing with them Oltrarno means ‘beyond the Arno’, and refers to the part of Florence south of the river. Although you can find many famous sights there – the Pitti Palace, Boboli Gardens, and Piazzale Michelangelo […]
A great love story and an indomitable passion have shaped one of the most memorable garden landscapes in Italy. We re-visit the exotic retreat on the island of Ischia and remember the wonderful Lady Walton… All great gardens are love stories – the love of the gardener for his or her creation, but La Mortella is something special. […]
Historically a trailblazer in garden design, Italy still wows with its gorgeous giardini. Fleur Kinson finds variety in all its splendour on the shores of the northern lakes. Italy, like England, is one of the great gardening nations of Europe and was hugely influential in the evolution of ideas about green spaces arranged for pleasure […]
Hugo and Diana Seno, Melbourne, Victoria “The last rays of sunshine beam over the Dolomite mountains while driving through Val Gardena in the Veneto region.”
Thermal pools and lush foliage make some parts of the island of Ischia, the Green Island, a veritable Eden. Hannah Bellis shares the best places to restore yourself… Ischia. The ‘green island’ in the Bay of Naples. You would be forgiven for thinking it’s nickname comes from the lush vegetation, and that is certainly part […]
Located just 25 miles south of Venice, the commune of Rosolina has been included in the list of the 100 greatest small towns in Italy. Undoubtedly this is partly due to the beautiful Giardino Botanico Litoraneo di Porto Caleri… At nearly 23 hectares, this botanical garden and nature reserve consists of salt marshes, indigenous vegetation, […]