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SPRING

17 of the most beautiful parks and gardens in Italy

Spring has sprung, and all over Italy that means parks and gardens are coming alive with colour. Here are 17 that are well worth a visit, including some old favourites and a few lesser-explored gems.

17 of the most beautiful parks and gardens in Italy
Giardini di Villa Monastero, Lake Como. Photo: Stew Dean/Flickr

Arte Sella, Trentino

We'll start the list with a garden that's a little out of the ordinary. Arte Sella is a museum/art gallery in a park surrounded by mountains. All the artworks are made of natural materials and have been designed to interact with their surroundings. Walking the entire route takes four to five hours.

Photo: Alessandro/Flickr

Giardini della Landriana, Lazio

Escape from Rome to visit these spectacular gardens – by car is easiest, but you can also travel by regional train and shuttle bus. The garden is split into 30 areas or 'rooms' each with a distinctive theme, offering a Mediterranean twist on the classic English style of garden. Head there in April to see the spectacular flower show.

 

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Boboli Gardens, Florence

The Boboli Gardens were the inspiration for many European palace gardens – not least Versailles – and you'll see plenty of stunning architecture as you stroll around. Work on the gardens first began in the 15th century and at one time it was the home of the powerful Medici family. Highlights include the amphitheatre, Neptune's Fountain, and the Grotta Grande (Large Cave) with spectacular sculptures and frescoes.

Photo: Eva van Wassenhove/Flickr

Palermo Botanic Gardens

This 200-year-old garden is one of the main sights in Sicily's capital, and home to many weird and wonderful plants. An oasis of peace in the bustling city – make sure to check out the various kinds of cacti.


Photo: Chris/Flickr

Villa Toepliz, Lombardy

In Varese, not far from Lake Como, you'll find this gorgeous park – one of the best examples of an Italian villa-park the country has to offer. Relax and enjoy the flowerbeds, fountains and trees, including some exotic species such as Himalayan cedars. Entry is free!

 

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Castello Miramare, Trieste

The 19th-century castle alone is reason enough to visit, but its 22 hectare grounds include awe-inspiring cliffside views, tropical plants, and flower displays. 

Photo: fugzu/Flickr

Villa Visconti Borromeo Litta, Lombardy

If you're using Milan as a base, consider a trip to Lianate to take in this hidden gem, little known among tourists. Don't miss the grotto dedicated to water nymphs, or the recently restored greenhouse, and consider taking a guided tour to learn about the history of the 16th-century villa.

 

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Parco Giardino Sigurtà, Veneto

Try out the maze, take in the landscaped gardens, and introduce your children to the farm animals at this serene spot, which is Italy's largest garden. Explore all 60 hectares on foot, by bike or on the tourist train – make sure you allow plenty of time.

Photo: Gabriele Vincenzi/Flickr

Giardino Buonaccorsi, Le Marche

These gardens were painstakingly mapped out in the 1700's, following principles of symmetry and geometry – and they remain faithful to the original design. They're free to visit, and you'll be treated to intriguing statues, views for miles, and original automata, making for an unforgettable day out.

 

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Gardino dei Giusti, Verona

Name-checked by German literary giant Goethe, these gardens in the romantic northern city are a must-visit. It was designed to celebrate contrasts and evoke both horror and harmony. You'll find a grotto, myriad water features, and a tower – climb it for views over the entire city.

Photo: Radomir Cernoch/Flickr

Rose Gardens, Rome

Opposite the Circo Massimo lies the Roman Rose Garden, first created in the 1930s and home to over 1000 varieties of roses. It's an ideal setting for a romantic stroll, but hides a darker past: the area once formed part of Rome's Jewish Ghetto, and housed the Jewish cemetery. Look closely and you'll see that the footpaths form the shape of a menorah in a nod to the district's past.

Photo: Yannick Carer/Flickr

Giardini La Mortella, Ischia

If you're visiting bustling Naples or tourist-haven Capri, consider taking the time to explore their lesser-known neighbour Ischia, and this garden in particular. It's got plenty of character, with great views and a wide variety of plants. Music performances often take place here too, offering a treat for all the senses.

Giardini di Villa Monastero, Lake Como

You'll want to wander round these beautiful botanic gardens for hours, and they're incredibly photogenic. Plants from almost all over the world are able to grow here, and you can enjoy views over the lake.

Photo: Stew Dean/Flickr

Giardino di Ninfa, Lazio

You'll need to book a tour to see these gardens, and the guides will explain the history behind this magical spot. Prepare to be enchanted: Ninfa was at one time a busy medieval town, but was abandoned after a series of woes including struggles for ownership and a malaria outbreak. It wasn't until the 1900's that they were rediscovered and transformed into a botanical garden. Today, plants are entwined with the ruins, and you can cross the castle's moat to see inside. The only downside is that it can be tricky to get there – opening hours are limited and it's tough to reach from Rome on public transport.

 

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Castello Ruspoli, Lazio

Yet another option for a day trip from Rome can be found in Viterbo at the magnificent Castello Ruspoli. The property still belongs to the ancient noble family, but you can explore the amazing Renaissance garden and relax by the plants and fountains.

Photo: Julia Maudlin/Flickr

Giardino Botanico Lama degli Ulivi, Puglia

Located in the town of Monopoli, the gnarled olive trees are the centre-piece of this garden. In total there are over 2000 species of plants from across the globe, and you should make sure you check out the incredible rock churches too.

 

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Hanbury Botanic Gardens

Last but not least, it's another botanic garden, this one owned by Genoa's university. In addition to the incredible range of plants, you can see a Roman road, mosaics, grottos, and an unusual bronze dragon.

Photo: Tim Hage/Flickr

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This article was first published in March 2017.

TRAVEL NEWS

German train strike wave to end following new labour agreement

Germany's Deutsche Bahn rail operator and the GDL train drivers' union have reached a deal in a wage dispute that has caused months of crippling strikes in the country, the union said.

German train strike wave to end following new labour agreement

“The German Train Drivers’ Union (GDL) and Deutsche Bahn have reached a wage agreement,” GDL said in a statement.

Further details will be announced in a press conference on Tuesday, the union said. A spokesman for Deutsche Bahn also confirmed that an agreement had been reached.

Train drivers have walked out six times since November, causing disruption for huge numbers of passengers.

The strikes have often lasted for several days and have also caused disruption to freight traffic, with the most recent walkout in mid-March.

In late January, rail traffic was paralysed for five days on the national network in one of the longest strikes in Deutsche Bahn’s history.

READ ALSO: Why are German train drivers launching more strike action?

Europe’s largest economy has faced industrial action for months as workers and management across multiple sectors wrestle over terms amid high inflation and weak business activity.

The strikes have exacerbated an already gloomy economic picture, with the German economy shrinking 0.3 percent across the whole of last year.

What we know about the new offer so far

Through the new agreement, there will be optional reduction of a work week to 36 hours at the start of 2027, 35.5 hours from 2028 and then 35 hours from 2029. For the last three stages, employees must notify their employer themselves if they wish to take advantage of the reduction steps.

However, they can also opt to work the same or more hours – up to 40 hours per week are possible in under the new “optional model”.

“One thing is clear: if you work more, you get more money,” said Deutsche Bahn spokesperson Martin Seiler. Accordingly, employees will receive 2.7 percent more pay for each additional or unchanged working hour.

According to Deutsche Bahn, other parts of the agreement included a pay increase of 420 per month in two stages, a tax and duty-free inflation adjustment bonus of 2,850 and a term of 26 months.

Growing pressure

Last year’s walkouts cost Deutsche Bahn some 200 million, according to estimates by the operator, which overall recorded a net loss for 2023 of 2.35 billion.

Germany has historically been among the countries in Europe where workers went on strike the least.

But since the end of 2022, the country has seen growing labour unrest, while real wages have fallen by four percent since the start of the war in Ukraine.

German airline Lufthansa is also locked in wage disputes with ground staff and cabin crew.

Several strikes have severely disrupted the group’s business in recent weeks and will weigh on first-quarter results, according to the group’s management.

Airport security staff have also staged several walkouts since January.

Some politicians have called for Germany to put in place rules to restrict critical infrastructure like rail transport from industrial action.

But Chancellor Olaf Scholz has rejected the calls, arguing that “the right to strike is written in the constitution… and that is a democratic right for which unions and workers have fought”.

The strikes have piled growing pressure on the coalition government between Scholz’s Social Democrats, the Greens and the pro-business FDP, which has scored dismally in recent opinion polls.

The far-right AfD has been enjoying a boost in popularity amid the unrest with elections in three key former East German states due to take place later this year.

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