Gardens of Italy: The Italian Lakes, the Piedmont, Tuscany, Umbria & Rome

Highlights

• Join John Patrick, horticulturalist, garden designer and presenter on ABC TV’s Gardening Australia, to tour the gardens of five distinct regions of Italy.
• Enjoy the magic of northern lakeside and island gardens including Villa Carlotta, Villa del Balbianello, Isola Bella and Isola Madre.
• Meet Paolo Pejrone, currently Italy’s leading garden designer, and view his own garden ‘Bramafam’, the estate of the Peyrani family and, by special appointment, the private Agnelli Gardens at Villar Perosa – one of Italy’s most splendid examples of garden design.
• Tour through the Piedmont exploring the great estates of the House of Savoy including the Castello di Masino.
• View the work of Russell Page with visits to the private gardens of San Liberato and Villa Silvio Pellico.
• Visit intimate urban gardens in Florence and Fiesole including Le Balze, designed by Cecil Pinsent, the secret gardens of Villa Capponi, and the Giardini Corsini al Prato.
• Ramble through the historical centres of lovely old cities like Turin, Lucca, Siena, Florence and Perugia.
• Encounter masterpieces of Italian art in major churches and museums.
• Enjoy delicious meals in the verdant surrounds of a number of private Tuscan and Umbrian villas including Villa di Geggiano, Villa Vignamaggio (featured in Kenneth Branagh’s film Much Ado About Nothing) and Villa Aureli.
• Explore the great Renaissance garden designs at Villa La Foce, home of Iris Origo, author of the famous Merchant of Prato, and Villa Gamberaia at Settignano, described by Edith Wharton in her book Italian Villas and Their Gardens (1904).
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What's this trip about?

Join John Patrick, horticulturalist, garden designer and presenter on ABC TV’s Gardening Australia, to explore the unique gardens of the Northern Lakes, Piedmont, Tuscany, Umbria and Lazio. This tour features exclusive visits to private gardens opened especially for ASA. Few travellers will ever enjoy the famous English landscape designer Russell Page’s gardens at Villa Silvio Pellico, or the designs by Dan Pearson and Stuart Barfoot at Torrecchia Vecchia. We accompany Paolo Pejrone, a pupil of Russell Page and currently Italy’s leading garden designer, on visits to his own garden ‘Bramafam’, on our visit to the gardens of Casa Agnelli, and to the estate of the Peyrani family. These special experiences augment a program exploring historic gardens that highlight continuity and change in Italian gardening tradition. Along with the magical northern lakeside and island gardens of Villa Carlotta, Villa del Balbianello, Isola Bella and Isola Madre we visit the Piedmontese Castello di Masino; Tuscan Renaissance and Baroque masterpieces like Villa La Foce, home of Iris Origo, author of the famous Merchant of Prato; the Borromini-inspired garden of renowned architect and scholar Paolo Portoghesi at Calcata; and the unforgettable Giardini di Ninfa south of Rome. Outside Florence we view the ingenious garden designs of Englishman, Cecil Pinsent, at Villa Le Balze and Villa Capponi – a perfect example of a ‘secret’ enclosed parterre garden where the late Queen Mother enjoyed holidays as a girl. Umbria’s Palazzo Patrizi at Castel Giuliano will delight rose lovers while San Liberato provides another example of Russell Page’s work. Throughout our journey we explore how Italians have for centuries exploited panoramic parterres, glistening lake settings, exquisite villa architecture and garden sculpture, fountains and water cascades to produce sublime gardens. We also enjoy Italy’s loveliest landscapes including the stunning Ligurian coast, beautiful old cities such as Turin, Florence, Lucca, Siena, Perugia and Rome and feast on local cuisine at Villas Geggiano, Vignamaggio and Aureli.

What's excluded

• Airfare: Australia-Milan, Rome-Australia
• Personal spending money
• Airport-hotel transfers if not travelling on the ASA ‘designated’ flights
• Luggage in excess of 20 kg (44 lbs)
• Travel insurance

Accommodation