Considered one of the pearls on the shores of Lake Maggiore in Verbania Pallanza, the botanical gardens of Villa Taranto create a 7-kilometre-long path as if taking a journey through distant lands.
It boasts one of the richest European collections of exotic species, collected by its founder, Scottish captain Neil Boyd McEacharn, in the early 20th century while travelling the world in search of rare specimens.
Its beauty is expressed during the spring with spectacles of blooms and splendid colours.
The botanical heritage of the Villa Taranto gardens is vast and includes a thousand non-native plants and about 20 thousand varieties and species of particular botanical value.
While walking through the park, one can admire magnolias, eucalyptus trees, rare tropical plants and lotus flowers, alongside chestnut trees, birches, tulips, dahlias, paulonias, azaleas, daffodils, rhododendrons, hydrangeas and exceptional specimens of beech trees. Walking along the park's avenues, one encounters terraces, lawns, fountains, waterfalls and ponds.
Villa Taranto also offers visitors a bookshop, a kiosk where the plants that are grown in these gardens can be purchased, a bar-restaurant and a picnic area.
The park is easily accessible by car.
Visit time approx. 2 hours
Tickets can be purchased online or on site.
More information at www.villataranto.it