Bartolomeo Pallanca’s passion for horticulture matched, if not surpassed, that of his father who was an olive grower by trade. Both men worked for Winter, and in 1910 Bartolomeo Pallanca founded his very own “Stabilimento Orticolo Floreale” nursery. One part of the business specialized in ornamental LIGURIA BORDIGHERA Pallanca Exotic garden Bartolomeo Pallanca’s passion for horticulture matched, if not surpassed, that of his father who was an olive grower by trade. Both men worked for Winter, and in 1910 Bartolomeo Pallanca founded his very own “Stabilimento Orticolo Floreale” nursery. One part of the business specialized in ornamental plants and cut flowers, and the other in cacti and succulents, which were shipped to half of Europe’s botanical gardens. After the war, this became the core business for the nursery. Four generations dedicated their existence to the cultivation, acclimatization and flowering of succulent plants. Nowadays it is one of the most interesting collections for fans and scholars alike. More than 3,000 different varieties and specimens from all corners of the Earth are distributed by the area of origin and form a living map portraying nature’s infinite grace through which rock formations are colonized. Pallanca exotic garden Photo ©CRISTINA ARCHINTO Info: www.pallanca.it More botanical gardens and nurseries Orto Botanico di Ginevra Orto Botanico di Ginevra Centro Botanico Moutan Orto Botanico di Palermo Roma Roseto di Roma Parco Botanico Villa Rocca Water Nursery Giardino Botanico di Hanbury

Water Nursery Latina The Water Nursery, albeit being the most extensive Italian collection for wetland vegetation, is also an endeavour that narrates about the land’s history and through this itself sustains itself, transforming complex environmental conditions into botanical creations of amazing b UMBRIA THE LAVANDETO DI ASSISI Not only lavender Photographs by Cristina Archinto At Castelnuovo di Assisi, under the watchful gaze of the Basilica of St Francis, is the Lavadeto di Assisi a nursery, but not only that, it is also a garden and occasionally a place to celebrate spring in late April, lavender in July and sages in early October. THE NURSERY Lavender is undoubtedly the undisputed star of the nursery, but there are many other noteworthy plants that stand out especially at other times of the year, such as sage Greggii hot lips a beautiful fragrant perennial bush with deep red dots that flowers from April to May. Or the beautiful bushes of Pennisetum villosum a grass with a white blossom that flowers from August to October, or the mauve-coloured Verbena rigida bushes or the Sedum couticola bushes. THE GARDENS Not far from the nursery, immersed in the landscape between one field and another, are what are known as the Lavender Gardens, examples of different types of gardens with specific plants; low-maintenance perennials, or plants suitable for sun or dry soil, or plants to put in your own pond, to see in the field, how our future garden might turn out or how our purchases at the nursery will develop. Bushes of Pennisetum villosum , wonderful Stipa tenuissima that look like hair in the wind, the so-called pampas feathers or Cortaderia selloana and even water lilies with Hydrocotyles for ponds. You can also see the large flowering rosemary bushes that protect so many different aromatic plants from the wind, there are also beehives with bees preparing to spend the winter waiting for another spectacular flowering in spring. Photo ©CRISTINA ARCHINTO Info: Official website More botanic gardens and nurseries Vivai cuba Orto Botanico di Berlino Orto botanico di Madrid Orto botanico di Amsterdam Orto botanico di Napoli Giardino Botanico Nuova Gussonea Orto Botanico di Catania Orto Botanico di Ginevra

A book that tells the story and the landscape of this enchanted place. Eight gardens, eight different realities linked together by the lava flows of this majestic volcano. ​ SHOP BOOK GARDENS IN THE SHADE OF MOUNT ETNA by Cristina Archinto A book that tells the story and the landscape of this enchanted place. Eight gardens, eight different realities linked together by the lava flows of this majestic volcano. In the shadow of Etna, lichens and broom replenish the woods of the slopes crossed by the lava: it is nature that regenerates itself after each flow. Observing the vitality of these processes, the communities of Etna have learned to recognize their richness and ability to adapt. This is how the citrus scented landscape was born and a pioneering science of ecosystems developed: a culture of coexistence with the volcano that gardens have celebrated, acclimatizing specimens from all over the world alongside the local species. Cristina Archinto's photographs tell of the extraordinary adventure that involved the first herbalists and the botanists of the Catania Garden, the wisdom that unites enthusiasts of yesterday and today in continuous experimentation. Portraying the strength of centuries-old olive trees or the elegance of agaves, his shots take us to the most evocative places of seven Etna gardens; and showing the tenacity of opuntias or the poetry of eternal blooms, they reveal the range of greens and the play of light that only Sicily can offer. Alessandra Valentinelli Index ETNA Between nature, history and culture PARCO PATERNÒ DEL TOSCANO In the shadow of the volcano CIANCIO GARDEN In the green of the lava GRAVINA GARDEN The terrace on the Timpa ROOMS IN FLOWER The art of colour VILLA ORTENSIA The beautiful landscape of the citrus grove ETNA BOTANIC GARDEN Iddu CATANIA BOTANICAL GARDEN The Etna road of science FORM Title: GARDENS IN THE SHADOW OF MOUNT ETNA Author: Cristina Archinto Text: Alessandra Valentinelli Photographs: Cristina Archinto Translation: Stefania Bellingardi Beale Text: Italian and English Illustrated book with 80 photographs Format 24 x 23cm Number of pages 108, Soft cover Paperback packaging Cost €26.00 ONLINE PURCHASE DISCOUNT €23.00 BUY ONLINE

Jardin de la Paix, a small garden opened to the public in 2003, is dedicated to the victims of the August attack that shook the UN in Baghdad, where Sergio Vieira de Mello, a Brazilian UN international official, also lost his life GENEVA THE PACE GARDEN Photo © CRISTINA ARCHINTO S trolling around Geneva, in the Petit Saconnex area, you may come across the Jardin de la Paix a small garden but definitely living up to its name. Opened to the public in 2003, it is dedicated to the victims of the attack in August of that year that shook the UN in Baghdad, including Sergio Vieira de Mello, a Brazilian UN international official. In the centre is a small lawn and bordered on both the north and south sides by neat flowerbeds with different varieties of flowers such as Kniphofia, Hemerocallis, Crocosmias, Rudbeckia, Impatiens , roses and graminaceous plants. To the east side, on the other hand, there is a vine pergola reminiscent of the awnings of yesteryear and housing a few benches that allow one to take advantage of the coolness, especially in this season. On the opposite side one can enjoy a small stretch of water, often frequented by frogs, fish and herons and covered with water lilies. The reflections in the water, the little bridge and the flora are as impressionist-inspired as the colours of the various flowers, which fade from cooler near the water area to warmer as you approach the sunny walls opposite. The small greenhouse is pretty, with some succulent plants at the entrance and more tropical plants in the central part. Needless to say, the garden is well maintained and is a little gem where calm and beauty reign. Photo ©CRISTINA ARCHINTO Other GARDENS and PARKS Villa Pergola Villa Pergola Villa Melzi Villa Melzi Parco Sigurtà Parco Sigurtà Parco Flauto Magico Parco Flauto Magico Villa Lante Villa Lante Bomarzo Parco Villa la Grange Labirinto della Masone

On the border between Veneto and Lombardy, in Valeggio sul Mincio, the 60 hectares of the Parco Giardino Sigurtà were colored thanks to Tulipanomania, the richest flowering of tulips in Italy, the second-largest in Europe, for the presence of over a million bulbs. VENETO SIGURTÀ GARDEN PARK The enchantment of tulips from ancient Persia to the Mincio Valleys Photographs Cristina Archinto Text Carla De Agostini D espite the cold weather at the end of March, the tulips in the Sigurtà Garden have sprouted! On the border between Veneto and Lombardy, in Valeggio sul Mincio, the 60 hectares of the Park have become colourful thanks to Tulipanomania, the richest tulip flowering in Italy, the second richest in Europe, with over a million bulbs. The route of about 10 km along porphyry paths enchants the visitor among fairy-tale glades and monuments in memory of the Sigurtà family. Punctuated by sweeping views of the Mincio, the itinerary crosses small bridges, sheets of water, reaches the flowerbeds of the Great Grassland Carpet and the floating, rotating islands in the Laghetti Fioriti. Every corner is a surprise, not only for the tulips but also for the daffodils, mosses, hyacinths and fritillaries. The arrangement of the flowers is the result of an in-depth study that guarantees perfect colour, with hundreds of multicoloured shades. And spring after spring, the flowerbeds are renewed, always offering new spectacles. The property, first owned by the Contarini family, then by the Maffei family, was purchased in 1941 by Giuseppe Carlo Sigurtà, who opened it to the public in 1978. The area soon became a nature park and in 2019 the Sigurtà Gardens were awarded by the World Tulip Society for excellence in promoting and celebrating the tulip. Today Tulipanomania is a real festival that exalts its beauty. The history of the tulip starts in the East: from the Persian delband, which means headdress or turban. The first cultivations took place in Turkey where it became very popular in the 16th century. During the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent, numerous varieties were developed and exported from his court to Vienna, then to Holland and England. The choice of the name Tulipanomania recalls the Tulip Fever that broke out in Holland in the first half of the 17th century. In those years the demand for tulips reached such a peak that every single bulb fetched incredible prices: in 1623 some bulbs cost as much as a thousand Dutch guilders. Considering that the average annual income at the time was 150 guilders, bulbs became an asset to invest in, exchanged for land, livestock or houses. In 1630, to meet the demands of the market, there were more than 140 different species of tulips registered in Holland alone: single-colour hybrids, multi-coloured with streaks, strokes or flaming leaves, all competing to create the most beautiful and rare tulip. The record price was set for the most famous bulb, the Semper Augustus, which sold in Haarlem for 6,000 guilders. In 1636 they became Holland's fourth most important export, but by the end of that year the 'Tulip Bubble' had reached its peak and burst, sending many people broke. The fever resumed in England in 1800, where the price of a single bulb reached fifteen guineas, a sum that was enough to ensure a worker and his family food, clothing and shelter for at least six months. But no other country in Europe matched the level of tulip mania of the Dutch. Today's Tulipanomania at the Sigurtà Garden has the theme of the ecological garden at heart; awarded the European Award for Ecological Gardening, the Park raises public awareness by promoting visits on foot, by bicycle, in an electric golf-cart or in a little retro train that follows the Itinerary of Enchantments with a multilingual guide. The creation of the Labyrinth, inaugurated in 2011 on an area formerly used as a car park, is along the same lines of thought. One thousand five hundred yew trees grow there, more than two metres tall, creating natural geometries on a rectangular area of 2,500 square metres. From the tower at the centre of the Labyrinth, you can admire the Great Oak, which has stood for over four centuries. At the end of the visit, you will have the feeling that you have not seen everything. The great variety of places will be the perfect excuse to return and discover the Garden, in search of new colours and blooms at new times of the year. THE TULIP IN HISTORY "Art could not feign a simpler grace, nor nature form a more beautiful line" wrote James Montgomery, a Scottish poet, at the end of the 18th century. Tulips, a bulbous species belonging to the Liliaceae family, were first mentioned in Western Europe around 1554 under the name tulipa, from the Latin genus, or tulipant. The word probably derives from the Persian دلبند delband 'turban' because of its similarity to the flower. One of the oldest tales dates back to ancient Persia: the young prince Farhad learns that Shirin, his great love, has been murdered. Overcome with grief, he throws himself off a cliff. In reality, it is a jealous rival who has spread this false rumour to hinder their relationship. So to symbolise eternal love and sacrifice, tradition has it that where the young prince's blood has dripped, tulips have grown. Even today in Iran, where the tulip is a national symbol of martyrdom, also used as a symbol in the 1979 Islamic revolution, it commemorates the martyrs who died in the battle of Karbala in 680 AD. The vicissitudes of this flower are varied and reach as far as Europe, in Holland to be precise, where in 1636 demand for tulip bulbs grew to such an extent that people began to invest in them on the stock exchange. Newspapers of the time, for example, reported the story of a brewer from Utrecht who traded his brewery for just three tulip bulbs. Flowers became jewellery for ladies, enriching their intrinsic meaning: giving a tulip as a gift can mean unconditional and perfect love, or it can be used to toast the achievement of a goal, it can allude to vanity, or reflect the philosophical attitude and transience of life. It is not by chance that we find a tulip vase next to Seneca's bust in the painting The Four Philosophers by Flemish artist Pieter Paul Rubens, recalling the disappearance of the two characters in the centre of the painting, so dear to the painter. GALLERY Photo ©CRISTINA ARCHINTO LINK Official website More Gardens and Parks Gairdino di Villa Lante Villa Lante parco del Flauto Magico Parco Flauto Magico Bomarzo Parco Villa la Grange Labirinto della Masone Giardino di Kenroku-en Giardino dell'impossibile Giardino di Ninfa

The gardens of Villa Lante in the province of Viterbo are characterized by the presence of water features, waterfalls and fountains immersed in nature. LAZIO VILLA LANTE By EMANUELA GNECCO Villa Lante is not just a garden but an ecosystem. Among the historic residences and castles in the area around the city of Viterbo, this villa best represents the modern conception of the relationship between architecture and environment, artifice and nature, flora, sculptures and water. This is evident in a fresco in the Gambara loggia which harmoniously blends the geometry of pools and paths, as well as terraces and fountains, with an ancient woodland setting, orchards and vineyards. Villa Lante perfectly interprets the Mannerist phase of the Italian Renaissance. Its rigor and rational organization, its details and symbolisms are astonishing and connect to the surrounding natural landscape Water is the absolute protagonist. It is channeled through a complex hydraulic system: from the Cimini Mountains it follows an initially turbulent course before leaping down like a torrent and finally flowing in the "parterre d'eau". Villa Lante is located in the town of Bagnaia, a few kilometres from Viterbo, and was built in the sixteenth century on an ancient hunting reserve or 'barco'. Gian Francesco Gambara, the town’s bishop, and his successor Alessandro Montalto, dedicated themselves to the construction of Villa Lante, one of the most famous examples of Italian gardens in the world. Cardinal Gambara, who had a very modern taste for outdoor living, is believed to have called in one of the greatest architects of the time, Jacopo Barozzi, known as 'Il Vignola', who designed two perfectly mirrored buildings with essential lines in typical Mannerist style. They are decorated with frescoes inside to celebrate the symbols and devotions of the two ecclesiastical patrons and to praise their virtues and power. One hundred years later the villa passed to Duke Ippolito Lante della Rovere, who gave it his own name, and was later acquired by the Italian state in 1970. The gardens are the pride and joy of Villa Lante. They cover an area of 22 hectares and include a woodland made of oaks, maples, hornbeams, laurels and holm oaks. The formal garden is bordered by a boundary wall and is enriched with water features, waterfalls and dripping grottoes. The architectures are influenced by the Vatican’s Belvedere and Villa d'Este in Tivoli inspired the waterworks: it was in fact the same architect and hydraulic engineer Tommaso Ghinucci da Siena who created both of the water systems. The garden has sixteen meters of elevation gain and is divided into three distinct levels connected by fountains and staircases. They symbolically represent the story of humanity's descent from the golden age, as narrated by Ovid in his Metamorphoses. The four natural elements, earth, air, fire and water, are represented by the lively outlines of the peperino sculptures, of the obelisks and of the columns which decorate the magnificent fountains. In the lower parterre the great fountain "dei Mori" by Gianbologna constitutes the final act of the symbolic itinerary: the triumph of the human mind over nature, represented by water that finally manages to find its static geometric form. Emanuela Gnecco The sixteen meters of altitude difference are divided into three distinct floors connected by fountains and stairways, symbolically representing the story of the descent of humanity from the golden age, as narrated by Ovid in the Metamorphoses. The agile forms of the peperino sculptures, obelisks and columns that decorate the magnificent fountains are present to symbolize the four natural elements: earth, air, fire and water. In the lower parterre, the large “dei Mori” fountain by Gianbologna which constitutes the final act of the symbolic journey: the triumph of the human mind over nature represented by water which finally manages to find its stillness in a geometric form. Emanuela Gnecco GALLERY Photo ©CRISTINA ARCHINTO LINK Official website TREE WATCHING More Gardens and Parks Bomarzo Parco Villa la Grange Labirinto della Masone Giardino di Kenroku-en Giardino dell'impossibile Giardino di Ninfa Villa Pizzo

The Caño Cristales, "crystal channel", is a river in Colombia commonly known as the River of Five Colors. In fact, the riverbed is brightly coloured between summer and autumn due to the presence of special aquatic plants. Colombia THE FIVE COLOUR RIVER The Caño Cristales (literally "crystal channel") is a river in Colombia located in the Serranía de la Macarena, in the department of Meta, and is a tributary of the Guayabero River, which is part of the Orinoco basin. The river is commonly known as the River of Five Colours. The bed of the river in fact from the end of July to November is coloured in five different colours: yellow, green, blue, black and above all red, the last colour is caused by the Macarenia clavigera an aquatic plant present on the bottom of the river. It is considered one of the most particular rivers of the Earth so that the National Geographic has described it as coming from the "Garden of Eden". The mountain complex of the Serrania de la Macarena on which the river flows is characterized by the presence of very ancient quartzite rocks dating back to about 1.2 billion years ago, extreme western extension of the Massif of Guyana in Venezuela. Being a minor waterway, the Caño Cristales does not reach 100 km in length and never exceeds 20 m in width. It is a fast flowing river with many rapids and waterfalls. In many parts of the river bed there are circular wells called giant potholes that are believed to have been formed by pebbles or pieces of rock harder than the one in which the river flows: if trapped by the current obstructed by any obstacle, these fragments of rock scrape the walls around the obstacle creating a cavity. Over time, other fragments of hard rock fall into the cavities already present and, rotated by the current of water, continue to affect the wall, increasing the size of the well. The Serranía de la Macarena is located on the border of three large ecosystems, each with a high diversity of flora and fauna: the Andes, the eastern Llanos and the Amazonian rainforest. Plant and animal life is struggling with the lack of nutrients on the solid rocky surface of the plateau and has developed several adaptations. The representative biome of the Serranía de La Macarena is the hydrophytic rainforest: hot, warm and cold. The plateau is home to about 420 species of birds, 10 species of amphibians, 43 species of reptiles and eight of primates. The Caño Cristales has a great variety of aquatic plants. The river water is extremely clear due to the lack of nutrients and small suspended particles. Almost unique is the bright red-pink colouring of the river bed that is observed after the rainy season, at the end of June until November. This colour is caused by large quantities of endemic Macarenia clavígera plant species. This plant can only be found in a few other local rivers, such as the Caño Siete Machos. These red plants adhere firmly to the rocks where the river has a faster current. Load More Photo © CRISTINA ARCHINTO MORE ENVIRAMENT AND BOTANY Grosseto Palmeti Palmeti Caldara di Manziana Terra Scoscesa Le Palme Luoghi d'Acqua Conoscere gli alberi

The Sacred Wood of Bomarzo welcomes visitors with its esoteric charm, accompanying them among stone monsters and mysterious sculptures through an evocative woodland path. LAZIO Bomarzo By LIVIA DANESE The Sacred Grove of Bomarzo is notoriously enigmatic and fascinating. Conceived by Prince Pier Francesco Orsini, it was inaugurated in 1547 and dedicated to his wife Giulia Farnese. Abandoning all prejudices and convictions at the door, one is transported into a surreal context that combines esotericism and mythology with the placidity and beauty of Viterbo’s countryside. The garden, also known as "Parco dei Mostri" (Monster Park), basks in its fame as a hermetic and mysterious place but represents more than just an expression of the Mannerist style’s taste for eccentricities. Nature is not accessory to the artistic caprices. On the contrary it produces the sensations of estrangement, alienation and fascination aroused by the park. The statues, the fountains and the architectures, all of which were sculpted directly in situ, seem to emerge from a natural environment that accentuates their ambiguity. The artworks therefore not only coexist with the ecosystem but also interact with it: a giant turtle that has to defend the female figure on its back, seems to takes advantage of the dense vegetation to hide and approach a whale immersed in the stream. Visitors are invited by the sphinxes at the entrance to concentrate on the wonders of the place, suggesting that the senses, as well as the mind, will guide the way. Perhaps the phrase "every thought flies" on the Orc’s anthropomorphic head represents an invitation to abandon total rationality? Enigmatic inscriptions and riddles, apparently overabundant nature, everything seems to be designed to make one lose balance, as the leaning house perfectly demonstrates. At the same time the park is scattered with reassuring symbols, such as the statue of the Ceres, maternal goddess of fertility, and the dancing nymphs. Today the itinerary through the park is different from the one designed by prince Orsini because of several changes that occurred in time. This makes the interpretation of the symbols along the route even more challenging. However, the encouragement to contemplation is very clear; now all that remains is to immerse oneself in this intricate garden, composed of verdant nature, petrified follies and sibylline verses, absorbing its charm, the mysteries and the enchantment. GALLERY Photo ©CRISTINA ARCHINTO Info: Official website Highlights Male fern - Dryopteris filix-mas Ferns are the oldest plants on our planet and are estimated to have been present for 350 million years. Its scientific name Dryopteris derives from drys oak and pteris fern, as it is very common in shady chestnut and oak forests. Ferns have always been used as dyes because of their tannin content, and were also used to make mattresses and pillows, and their good smell kept fleas away. Ferns are also the subject of many legends and myths throughout Europe, one of which tells us that on the night of 23-24 June, the feast of St John the Baptist, the fern produces a snow-white flower that has the power to make you invisible, like its seeds. Even Shakespeare was aware of this and quotes it in his Henry IV: 'We steal as if we were in an iron barrel, perfectly safe, we have the recipe for fern seeds, we walk invisible'. more gardens and parks Parco del Paterno del Toscano Villa Lante Labirinto della Masone Villa d'Este Giardino di Kenroku-en Giardino dell'impossibile Giardino di Ninfa Villa Pizzo

Opuntia ficus-Indica, better known as prickly pear, is a succulent plant belonging to the family of Cactaceae and it is xerophilous, that is living preferably in arid environments, where it can also reach 5 meters of height. The plant does not have a main trunk, its stems are cladodes, commonly known as paddles, which take care of photosynthesis, whereas its leaves with time have evolved into thorns. BOTANY POPPIES AND BEES Why don't bees pollinate red flowers except poppies? By CARLA DE AGOSTINI T he history of evolution is a history of relationships between species, as well as between species and the environment. When we smell a flower, for example, we actually hear a message addressed to the insects, a call to warn them that there is nectar waiting for them in exchange for transporting pollen. And the same goes for the choice of colours. Flowers as we know them are relatively recent. Angiosperms, i.e. plants that have flowers and fruit from seed, appeared between 135 and 140 million years ago and were not so colourful to begin with: fossils suggest that they were simple, dull-looking structures without much pigment, pale yellow or green at most. Today, with the exception of ferns, conifers, cycads and mosses, the majority of plant communities belong to the Angiosperms. Slowly, with the appearance of flowers, we also see the emergence of today's bright colours, an increasingly sophisticated mechanism to encourage pollination not only by wind or water but also by attracting insects. Many flowers have thus evolved to adapt to the needs and abilities of bees. Bees are responsible for 80% of pollination, without which there would be no apples, blueberries, cherries, avocados, cucumbers, almonds, onions, grapefruits, oranges, pumpkins and more. And it is to attract bees that the bright colour of the petals has become an important adaptation variable. The poppy has developed some of the most fascinating and unexpected strategies because bees don't perceive the bright red colour visible to the human eye but are attracted to the ultraviolet. Humans perceive colour through the pigment of the object and the part of the light it reflects. In bees, on the other hand, the field of vision is a mosaic of cones that enable them to recognise a different range of colours, help the insect to stay balanced during flight and identify each flower around it precisely, even at high speeds. The red hue is not perceptible to the bee's eye, and research has shown that it only distinguishes four colours: yellow (orange, yellowish green), bluish green, blue and ultraviolet. Therefore, flowers that are bright red to our eyes, such as the red violet or Chinese carnations, are not fertilised by bees, but by daytime butterflies. On the other hand, flowers such as heather, rhododendron, cyclamen or clover have a purple hue that bees perceive as a blue colour, or a white colour perceived as bluish green. The poppy, however, is one of the few red flowers that most attracts bees. This is because the pigmented cells in its petals are arranged in such a way as to create air-filled spaces where the light is dispersed, allowing UV rays to be reflected and the ultraviolet range to be perceived by the bee, which then settles on it and fertilises it. And it is from the Sicilian, and in part Sardinian, shovels that the prickly pear arrives and invades Eritrea, planted both by 19th century Italian missionaries and by migrants of the first Italian colonization. Here, the beles, the name in Eritrean, are not only the fruit but also the nickname jokingly given by peers from the Horn of Africa to second-generation Eritreans living in Italy, because they arrive with the same punctuality as the fruit: in the summer rainy season, and then leave again. Today, Opuntia ficus-indica is used for a wide variety of products, both for its high nutritional value, rich in minerals, especially calcium, phosphorus and vitamin C, and for its mucilage, the substance that allows the plant to have water reserves. Thanks to this, the prickly pear has become a major player in eco-sustainable innovations. For example, a Mexican professor of chemical engineering, Sandra Pascoe Ortiz, has patented a plastic and biodegradable material: by mixing prickly pear juice with glycerin, proteins and natural waxes, she has obtained a liquid which, after being laminated and dried, becomes a completely non-toxic, biodegradable and edible bioplastic. In Italy, too, alternative uses of prickly pears are proliferating. For example, a glue for fresco restoration work has been experimented with using mucilage, and a textile industry has obtained cruelty-free eco-leather from its waste. But that's not all, there are also sunglasses made from their fibers, furniture and sculptural lamps made from the waste from shovels that are entirely biodegradable at the end of their life! GALLERY Photo ©CRISTINA ARCHINTO MORE ENVIRONMENT AND BOTANY Vie cave opuntia fiorita Opuntia Tree Caño Cristales Palmeti Palm trees Caldara di Manziana Steep land Tiber

Villa ''Il Pizzo'' overlooks Lake Como set into a long series of terraces, seemingly carved out of the mountain. Situated on a promontory called ''Pizzo'', which in Como dialect means ‘point' or ‘spit', the site was bought in 1435 by Giovanni Mugiasca, a rich merchant from Como. The Mugiasca family LOMBARDY Lago di Como VILLA PIZZO BY ALESSANDRA VALENTINELLI Villa ''Il Pizzo'' overlooks Lake Como set into a long series of terraces, seemingly carved out of the mountain. Situated on a promontory called ''Pizzo'', which in Como dialect means ‘point' or ‘spit', the site was bought in 1435 by Giovanni Mugiasca, a rich merchant from Como. The Mugiasca family built their country house here which only became a refined residence in 1569. In 1630 they fled here to escape the dreaded Manzonian Plague, offering hospitality to several friends in exchange for manual work which involved digging, levelling and terracing the land. Thus the present structure of the garden was created, later to be enlarged at the end of the 18th century by Bishop Giambattista Mugiasca. In the 19th century important improvements were undertaken by the architect Simone Cantoni and subsequently, on the extinction of the Mugiasca family, the complex passed to Arch-Duke Ranieri of Hapsburg, Viceroy of Lombardy-Veneto, who gave free rein to his passion for botany, summoning the famous gardener Villoresi from Monza Royal Palace. In 1865 the ''Pizzo'' passed to a French noblewoman Madame Musard, mistress of King William II of Holland, who dedicated herself to embellishing the Villa and Garden, subsequently leaving it to the Volpi-Bassani family, whose descendants are the present owners. In the areas nearest to the main buildings are geometric paths running between the flowerbeds, clipped topiary hedges and baroque fountains, typical of formal Italian gardens. The long, renowned Cypress Avenue distinguishes the Villa, even from the lake. Towards Moltrasio the garden increasingly conforms to the English romantic style, more luxuriant, with tall trees interlaced with a system of small paths bordered by a water grotto, pools, streams and the ''Fountain of Alessandro Volta'', often a guest of the Mugiasca family in Villa Pizzo. Among the illustrious personages who frequented the Villa during the Mugiasca ownership, there was also the famous scientist Alessandro Volta, remembered by a monument that the owners had built following his death in 1827. This is the very first historical monument dedicated to Volta. When the Mugiasca family died out, it was Ranieri d'Asburgo, viceroy of Lombardo-Veneto, who bought the property. He found at Pizzo the ideal place of rest and refuge from the complex political events of the time. At Pizzo the viceroy Ranieri did not arrive alone, but accompanied by the famous landscape architect Villoresi, already designer of the Villa Reale in Monza, who gave a unique and definitive structure to the large park around the Villa. Following the turbulent political events of the end of the nineteenth century, which resulted in the "Moti del 48", the viceroy left the Villa, which was purchased by the charming Parisian madame Elise Musard, who gave a very recognizable feminine touch to the Villa, dyeing it pink, as it has remained until today. When Madame Musard tragically left the Villa, the Volpi-Bassani family bought it and lived it respecting the architectural and stylistic choices of the past and adding elements of great value that can still be admired today in the park such as the family Mausoleum, built by renowned architect Luca Beltrami and the large dock, which overlooks the lake giving a wonderful panoramic view. The simple and geometric architecture of the Villa, with the sobriety of its decorations that intersect with the irregularity and variety of shapes, colors and styles of the gardens, combined with the uniqueness of the history and events that took place in Villa Pizzo over the centuries, make Pizzo a unique place on Lake Como. Gallery Photo ©CRISTINA ARCHINTO Links VILLA PIZZO MORE GARDENS AND PARKS Giardini Villa la Pergola Villa Lante Labirinto della Masone Giardino di Kenroku-en Giardino dell'impossibile Giardino di Ninfa Castello di Masino Parchi di Parigi