We bid farewell to Lake Como and headed back over the top of Lake Lugano and down to Lake Maggiore and to the little town of Brissago, Switzerland to visit the beautiful garden on Isola Brissago.
There are two little islands off the shore in Brissago; the biggest one, San Pancrazio also known as Grande Isola, has a beautiful botanical garden, better than many I have seen in more prestigious cities and places in the world.
It didn’t take us long to get to Brissago. Once there, we wandered along the waterfront to catch the very smart looking ferry.
We boarded immediately and it departed, sailing smoothly, close to the shore to reach the islands.
The garden on the island was the result of enthusiasm for plants by the Antoniette, the Russian-born wife of Richard Fleming.
When Richard died in 1922, Antoniette (now calling herself Antoniette de Saint Leger) stayed on the island and continued to develop the garden.
Irish writer James Joyce was one of the people to visit the island at that time after the First World War.
Eventually, she was forced to sell it. She didn’t want to. She tried very hard to hang on to it. But in the end, she had to give it up to department store king Max Eden.
Guides at the garden today tell how he was not interested in plants or the garden at all but was mostly preoccupied with his interest in women.
Apparently, he had several of them pose nude in the Roman bath area of the garden – this is now one of the garden’s most famous pictures.
Today, the garden is a wonderfully calm, romantic place and the garden contains a rich and diverse assortment of exotic plants, including many from Australia and South America.
The climate is mild, probably Zone 9, so it is possible for agave to grow without danger right on the water’s edge, along with yuccas, cactus, aloes and other tender plants, such as Australian waratah (Telopea speciosissima)
In a grove of bamboo, we spotted a swan on a nest full of eggs. It was the first time I had seen a nesting swan.
Now officially a botanical garden, the site boasts a collection of about 1,500 plant species, including many azaleas and rhododendrons as well as palms.
We were delighted to find the villa contains an upscale restaurant and cafe with relaxing outdoor terrace space with a lovely, restful ambience.
It is the silence that surrounds the island and the calm views over the lake water that adds to the garden’s superb atmosphere.
My group wandered all over the garden and had fun taking photos of some of the wonderful plants and flower beds before returning to the villa for lunch.
From Brissago, we went down the lake to Stresa where we took the Mottarone cable car
The best part of this ride is being able to see Lake Maggiore as you ascend and the island gardens of Isola Bella and Isola Madre and Fisherman’s island and the surrounding scenery.
Eventually, we reached the top, about 5,000 feet, and from the summit we had a panorama of the Po Valley, and the Alps.
We were told on a clear day you can see as many as seven different lakes.
I think we were able to see three but it was an interesting excursion none-the-less and fun being on a gondola high above Lake Maggiore.
From the mountain top, we checked into our hotel.
Tomorrow, we will be seeing three beautiful gardens, two islands gardens, and one in Verbania overlooking the lake.
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