“Born in water, dies in wine”, is a traditional saying of the plain between Vercelli and Novara, where about 50% of the Italian rice is produced (the second most important area is Lomellina, in Lombardy). Irrigated by dozens of canals…
Lake Maggiore, the widest of our pre-alpine lakes, has always charmed artists, poets, travellers, Italian and foreigners, that stayed there and created beautiful gardens. Of glacial origin, surrounded by mountains and hills that repair it from cold northern winds, it…
Veneto is a land rich in ancient villas, countryside and gardens, but also many special nurseries, some of old tradition and younger ones. This itinerary develops around Treviso, a city characterised by the presence of two rivers, Sile and Cagnan,…
This second itinerary across beautiful Sicily develops, on more days, from Catania and the slopes of Etna, to Siracusa and Ragusa, among nurseries with scented jasmines and geraniums and plumerias, nurseries with topical and subtropical ornamental and bearer plants, cactuses,…
Way less known than the coast, the hinterland of Campania, that starting from Caserta and passing by Benevento reaches Avellino and Salerno, has much to offer with its natural landscapes, ancient villages among the most beautiful in Italy, mountain villages…
Among the most renowned and beloved Italian areas, the coast of Campania has a place of honour for its naturalistic and landscape beauty, its ancient villages, its touristic spots and the many culinary products, like the famous limoncello and mozzarella…
For a few years now, I have been lucky enough to go to the Rhêmes-Notre Dame Valley in all seasons. It is one of the first side valleys in Valle d’Aosta (highway exit Aosta Ovest-Sant Pierre). Long and narrow, more…
Here is the third itinerary among Sardinian nurseries: it is shorter and quicker than the other two because of the number of nurseries selected and the shorter distances between them. It develops in the area of Cagliari, in South Sardinia,…
This second itinerary across Sardinian nurseries and naturalistic beauty is set in the Eastern hinterland, a territory of ancient mines, ponds, marshes and hills. You can begin from the West coast in Oristano, famous for its beaches, calcareous promontories and…
Sardinia has marvellous beaches and coasts (1800 km!), but its hinterland is rough, wild and full of botanical surprises; it is not, traditionally, a land of historic gardens and nurseries. Gardens and nurseries began to appear only during the 1960s,…