Italian Gardens of Lake Como

Book excerpt: An outstanding volume celebrating the most beautiful villas and gardens of Lake Como, a must-have book for lovers of spectacular landscapes, design, and historic Italian architecture. This is a tribute to the jewel of Italian lakes and the splendid gardens of the stately mansions and villas standing on the Lake Como shores. Surrounded by mountains, Lake Como combines breathtaking scenery with lush flowering gardens, which are renowned all over the world. Incredible and gorgeous photographs take the readers inside fourteen of the most beautiful villas and gardens of Lake Como. The author, an historian of architecture and gardens, explains why prominent Italian families have chosen Lake Como to build their splendid palazzi and gardens. Each garden represents the time when it was designed: magnificent Renaissance and Baroque Italian gardens, 19th-century English landscape gardens, early-19th- century romantic natural designs, and 20th-century sanctuaries for rare botanical species. The specific climate conditions (hot summers, temperate winters, rainy mid-seasons) support the gardens famous for their luxurious flowers. Villa Carlotta’s garden contains more than 150 species of azaleas and rhododendrons, camellias, citrus fruits, sequoias, and other plants from all over the world. Some of the palazzi are now luxury hotels, such as the renowned Grand Hotel Villa d’Este, whose beauty makes the visit to the place an unforgettable experience.