Italy - Verbania Pallanza, Villa Taranto

In the 19th century Lake Maggiore was discovered by English travelers, who built beautiful summer residences along the lake; among others also the well-known Villa Taranto with 16 hectares of gardens. The botanical gardens surrounding the Villa Taranto were created between 1931 and 1940 by the Scottish captain Neil McEacharn. He bought an existing villa and its neighboring estates, cut down more than 2.000 trees, and undertook substantial changes to the landscape, including the addition of major water features.

Today the gardens contain nearly 20.000 plant varieties, representing more than 3.000 species, set among 7 km of paths. With some 150.000 visitors yearly it is the biggest tourist attraction in the area.