Green terraces with sea views | I Chapter

The scent of the sea and blooms: a journey through Liguria's great gardens.

Green Terraces with a Sea View is the summer itinerary of the Great Italian Gardens that celebrates those incredible corners of Italy where a passion for botany marries the majesty of the marine landscape. We're talking about veritable green lungs that extend just steps from the crystalline waters of our peninsula: treasure chests of biodiversity that embrace the coasts of Campania, Sicily, and, indeed, Liguria.

We often think of gardens as simple decorative spaces, tidy and quiet corners of relaxation. In reality, every garden is a veritable treasure trove of biodiversity, a vibrant microcosm of life where the stories of thousands of living organisms intertwine. From the tiny ant working underground to the great predatory bird peering down from above, every plant, insect, and animal plays a fundamental role in the balance of our planet.

Today our journey begins in Liguria, with the promise of heading south to discover other wonders in Campania, Puglia, Sicily, and Sardinia.

Towards the West: the enchantment of Alassio

Our journey begins in the heart of the Gulf of Alassio, considered one of the most splendid pearls of the Western Ligurian Riviera. It is here that the Gardens of Villa della Pergola reveal themselves with a majestic profile. This immense 22,000-square-meter park holds stories from distant eras: it was originally created in 1875 by the Scottish general William Montagu Scott McMurdo, and then passed at the beginning of the twentieth century to Sir Walter Hamilton-Dalrymple, a Scottish baronet descended from an ancient and noble loyalist family from North Berwick, Scotland, related, among others, to the writer Virginia Woolf. But it was only from 1922, with the arrival of Daniel Hanbury-second son of the owner of the renowned Hanbury Gardens-that the park received its greatest botanical boost.

After various ups and downs, in 2006 a group of friends led by Silvia and Antonio Ricci purchased the property to save it from heavy real estate speculation, launching a meticulous and painstaking restoration. Strolling here means losing yourself in the ever-changing scents and colors of every season, but if you decide to visit in June or July, you'll be captivated by the blue hues of over 500 varieties of agapanthus: a collection unique in Europe that will captivate you with its blooms overlooking the waves.

In the heart of Tigullio: between nobility and mysticism

Leaving Alassio behind and moving beyond Genoa, we enter the enchanting Golfo del Tigullio, where the town of Santa Margherita Ligure holds two extraordinary gems.

The first is Villa Durazzo, built in 1678 as the summer residence of the aristocratic family of the same name. Passed to the Princes Centurione in 1821 and to Alfredo Chierichetti in 1919-who oversaw the final layout of the park-the villa has belonged to the Municipality since 1973.
Exploring it, you'll notice that its oldest part houses a small, intimate citrus grove, perched on the terrace facing the sea between the surrounding wall and the balustrade. It was the Durazzo family who planted orange, lemon, and grapefruit trees here with the specific intention of creating a scenic ''green backdrop'' for those ascending from the sea to the residence; the design of the sumptuous Italian garden is the work of the Centurione family, who took over in the nineteenth century.

A little further on, along the splendid road connecting Santa Margherita to Portofino, stands the La Cervara Abbey. Founded in 1361 by a small group of Benedictine monks, the abbey has endured seven centuries of splendor and decadence, clearly visible in the complex's architectural layers.

The true masterpiece is its monumental Italian garden. It extends over two levels, gracefully joined by pergolas and stairways, offering a breathtaking view of the sea that seems suspended in time.

The Gulf of Poets: the romantic inspiration and intimate elegance of Leric

Our Ligurian journey finally concludes in the far east, in the beating heart of the Gulf of La Spezia (appropriately nicknamed the Gulf of Poets).

We begin at Villa Marigola, atop a promontory stretching between the waters of Lerici and San Terenzo. Looking out from its verandas and terraces below, you're captivated by a breathtaking panorama: the gaze sweeps from Lerici Castle to the islands of Tino and Palmaria, caressing the profile of Porto Venere, the breakwater, and the quiet bay of San Terenzo with its castle.

It's exactly the same romantic landscape that over the centuries has enchanted and inspired great poets and writers such as Percy Bysshe Shelley, Lord George Byron, and John Keats, and in more recent times, D.H. Lawrence, Attilio Bertolucci, and playwright Sam Benelli.
Today, the villa and its magnificent garden are open to visitors, ready to host important cultural events and unforgettable private events.

A short distance away, nestled in the hamlet of Pugliola in Lerici, we find the perfect culmination of this journey: Villa Rezzola. This historic residence, now protected by the FAI (Italian National Trust), is surrounded by a marvelous garden that almost seems to dive into the sea. Strolling along its extraordinary wisteria pergola-one of the longest and most charming in the region-your gaze opens onto a monumental view that encompasses the entire Gulf of Poets. With its terraces planted with olive trees, avenues of holm oaks, and exotic plants that testify to the tastes of the English owners who lived there in the early 20th century, Villa Rezzola perfectly embodies the most intimate, literary, and poignant soul of our itinerary.

Benelli Castle, nestled between the emerald green of the countryside and the infinite blue of the sea

Our journey continues down the peninsula, along a stretch that combines the historicity of the great Roman consular roads with the Baroque backdrops overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea. A path where the cultivated countryside transforms into a designer garden, and where the great families of Italian history have left their botanical signature.

Our first stop takes us to Emilia-Romagna, to Bordonchio, a strategic location since Roman times due to its proximity to major caravan routes such as the Via Pompilia and the Via Flaminia. Here, a few steps from the ancient church of San Martino, stands the monumental Benelli Castle.

Its magic lies in a breathtaking visual contrast: the residence almost seems to unite two opposing worlds, suspended between the emerald green of the Romagna countryside and the infinite blue of the sea.

Outside, the castle is not isolated from the surrounding landscape, but is perfectly integrated into a natural landscape, preserving its historic ''garden-countryside'' layout. Strolling along its paths, the eye is lost among the centuries-old maritime pines, the enormous plane trees, and the geometric rows of surrounding farmland, lit by the enveloping scent of jasmine and the delicate hues of Pierre de Ronsard roses.

But it's when you climb onto the castle terrace that the perspective changes and the contrast is fulfilled: your gaze, sated by the greenery of the mainland, suddenly plunges into the blue, discovering the spectacular sea view of the famous tourist destination on the Riviera Romagnola. It's a secret balcony where the sea breeze caresses the branches of the centuries-old trees and where the countryside, stretching toward the coast, almost seems to touch the water.

This botanical paradise encompasses a thousand-year history. An ancient medieval outpost and hunting lodge of the Malatesta family, the castle was rebuilt in the 19th century by the Spina nobles and restored to its former splendor in 1917 by the Benelli family. The meticulous restoration preserved the 19th-century furnishings and interior decorations, creating an iconographic ''dream'' where references to the natural surroundings envelop every room. A must-see for those who wish to discover how the nobility of the past managed to frame the wild beauty of the sea with the orderly care of the land.

Villa Bell'Aspetto: A Baroque Telescope Overlooking the Lazio Sea

Continuing our journey south, we reach Lazio to be enchanted by a place whose name already speaks volumes: Villa Bell'Aspetto, also known as Villa Borghese, in Nettuno. And the name doesn't lie, because wonder greets you unexpectedly: you wander the paths of the wild park and, suddenly, you find yourself before the geometric rigor of the Italian garden, with perspective lines guiding the gaze toward the Baroque palace and, immediately beyond, toward infinity.

The villa's secret lies precisely in its spectacular location: the entire complex overlooks the sea, and the sea breeze carries with it the intense scent of saltiness, which insinuates itself between the paths and inebriates every corner of the garden, merging with the aromas of the vegetation.

Founded in 1647 as a haven of pure relaxation and idleness for Cardinal Costaguti, the estate passed to the Borghese family in 1832. While the palace has been modified over time to accommodate illustrious guests, the park has remained an untouched paradise. Here, the contrast between the spontaneous forest and the formal garden continues to take your breath away, enriched over the years by signature touches: the splendid blooms in the courtyard bear the signature of landscape designer Paolo Pejrone, while the captivating exotic plants are the work of Lydia Borghese. A passionate care for the greenery and the blue of the sea that new generations continue to pass down to this day.

Grandi Giardini Italiani Srl

Grandi Giardini Italiani Srl