It is not necessary to be an expert botanist to acknowledge the overwhelming beauty of this world with a thousand shades of colours and a thousand heady scents, all of them carefully organised and arranged in a context of wonderful floral settings.
Basically, the style is English, even if one can see Italian inspiration in the statues, fountains, sheets of water, terraces, waterfalls' in a word, all those adornments that contribute to offer a further enchanting glow to this veritable Eden on earth, this kind of sacred temple to polychromatic, living nature.
The botanical garden of Villa Taranto is one of the most important in the world, with its thousands of species of plants and flowers coming from all over the world, gracefully arranged on an area of about 16 hectares and crossed by 7 km of paths.
It is impossible, even briefly, to give an idea of the richness of colours, scents and emotions: eucalyptus trees, azaleas, rhododendrons, magnolias, michelias, maple trees, camellias, dahlias, tulips, lotus flowers, heathers, dwarf asters, hydrangeas and many tropical plants (among which the Victoria Amazonica), rare specimens such as Dicksonia Antarctica and Davidia Involucrata. Successive flowering is uninterrupted from spring to autumn; special events also take place during this period in order to pay homage to these small but powerful wonders of nature.
This wonderful place was created by the Scottish captain Neil Mac Eacharn, who bought the villa in 1931 with the very purpose of creating a dream garden on the banks of his beloved Lake Maggiore. The name he gave to the villa pays homage to one of his ancestors who was appointed Duke of Taranto by Napoleon Bonaparte. In 1939 captain Mac Eacharn, not having any direct heirs, decided to donate the whole property to the Italian State, in exchange for permission to be buried in the mausoleum situated in the middle of the park.
It is possible to visit the gardens, by paying an entrance fee.
Opened: From 19th March to 2nd November, every day, 8:30 - 18:30 (in October, 8:30 - 17:00)
Info:
Tel: (+39) 0323 556667, Tickets (+39) 0323 404555
Fax: (+39) 0323 556667
E-Mail entevillataranto@tin.it
Web http://www.villataranto.it
