MySecretGarden

U.S.A., Washington State. USDA zone 8b. Sunset climate zone 5

Villa Carlotta Garden in Northern Italy



     Among the ten gardens which we were fortunate to visit during our European trip in May, the Botanical Garden at Villa  Carlotta in Tremezzo (Lake Como District, Lombardy) was the busiest. Visitors were arriving by ferry from other towns around the lake and by tour buses from Milan.
Even so, the garden was not crowded, since the villa itself  absorbed many visitors, and the size of the garden allowed others to disperse around its grounds.
     The history of this place goes back to the XII century. In 1801, it was acquired by Giovanni Battista Sommariva who set a goal to surround the house with beautiful plants from all over the world.
A great garden served as an owner's status in those times.
In 1843, the Prussian princess, Marianna, became the villa's owner and gave it as a wedding gift to her daughter, Carlotta. Carlotta's husband, Giorgio II, Duchy of Sachsen-Meiningem,  loved botany and did a lot to improve the garden.
     The garden changed while belonging to different owners. It started as an English style garden with a naturalistic feel, and now, it has all the features of an Italian garden - geometric forms, staircases, sculptures and fountains, grottoes and  terraces.
     The acidic soil is perfect for growing rhododendrons and azalias. There are 150 varieties of them here, and they were blooming nicely in May when we were there. They are joined by camellias, magnolias, papyrus, citruses, plane trees (Platanus), Japanese maples, palm trees, 25 types of bamboo, climbing roses, tree ferns, wisteria, succulents, perennials, etc.
     The old trees and majestic views provide added charm to the garden.
     The garden now belongs to the Italian state.



Mars and Venus






My favorite view:



A huge ravine was transformed into a multilevel forest. Its streams, waterfalls and stones create an atmosphere of calm, tranquility and peacefulness in this shady area of the garden.


What a romantic, enchanted place with millions of rhododendron petals on the ground:




It's Bellagio on the other side of the lake with Villa Melzi and its gorgeous garden. The owners of the villas, Giovanni Battista Sommariva  and Francesco Melzi, were  trying to outdo each other in richness and exotic plants in their gardens.  An interesting article about it can be found here: Garden Rivalry























Tourists and dogs alike were happy being in such a beautiful place on a sunny day.







Nice surroundings:


It's amazing how quiet and peaceful we found the garden despite a lot of visitors.

***Copyright 2014 TatyanaS

27 comments:

  1. The pictures of your holiday in Italy are gorgeous. Despite Italian gardens are very different from our gardens I like them very much, and the views are just magnificent. And was that you on one of the pictures? Very pretty!

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  2. Gorgeous photos of a gorgeous garden.

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  3. Such a lovely garden Tatyana. What a pleasure to find such a beautiful place to stay where even amongst the other visitors, one can still feel and appreciate the charm of this garden.

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  4. The photos are so beautifull. Thanks for sharing this.
    Gyms in Chicago

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  5. Another fabulous garden! The views from this one was tremendous! I love that you put one of you, too!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Heather! A garden with great views has double power!

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  6. AnonymousJuly 06, 2014

    Beautiful photos as usual, of amazing gardens in even more amazing settings. Loved it! Thank you, Tatyana. And did I perhaps recognise a certain tourist?? :)

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    1. Jack, thank you! It was interesting to compare this garden with the garden across the lake. That second garden is located closer to the water, to its advantage. I 'll try to prepare its pictures soon.
      Yes, that one tourist looks very familiar!

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  7. Wow! Such a gorgeous garden! I'm almost speechless...

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    Replies
    1. Satu, you, Europeans, are so lucky - there are so many beautiful gardens close by!

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  8. Unbelievable views especially those that go out to and across the garden to the water.

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  9. Wow, that is some kind of stunning place, with incredible views! I agree with your favorite view. I'm speechless! I feel like I want to go back and pause on each picture for a few minutes each!

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    Replies
    1. Beth, I hope you will like two more gardens from around Lake Como!

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  10. So beautiful! Each and every picture. It looks like being in a dream! Thank you for posting the photos of the beautiful gardens you have visited!

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  11. Beautiful! We never made it as far north as Lake Como when we visited Italy, but we LOVED everything we saw. Just breath taking. Your photos are wonderful!

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    Replies
    1. I agree, Italy is a wonderful country, and there is so much to see there!

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  12. Tree-sized rhododendrons with millions of pink petals upon the ground, then add mountains and the sea...sigh, such a paradise! Even the dogs smile!

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  13. Thanks for sharing your photos! What dates were you in the Italian Lakes District? I'm planning to be there around May 10-15 of 2015. I'm trying to figure out what I might see compared to what is blooming in your photos.

    Thanks in advance, David

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    Replies
    1. Hi David! It was May 2-8. Have a wonderful time! I hope you included Varenna in your route.

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Thank you for stopping by and for your comment! I appreciate your time! See you soon on your blog!

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