GARDENS OF THE ITALIAN LAKES
Travel by boat to visit some of the finest lakeside gardens of Lakes Como and Maggiore, plus visit the Orticolario garden show in the company of designer Annie Guilfoyle O ur journey to the Italian Lakes will take us to some of the finest lakeside and island gardens of this uniquely beautiful region. We will travel mostly by boat, discovering landscapes of quiet enchantment and sublime grandeur. While our days will be infused with exquisite light, by night we will revel in the fin de siècle atmosphere of our lakeside hotels. The warm, humid microclimate results in exceptional growing conditions, with much to enthuse the plantsman. Combining great botanical interest with the fascinating history of the gardens’ origins, our tour will move from the Renaissance to the 20th century through compelling and often neglected chapters of Italian garden history with visits including the baroque splendours of Isola Bella and Villa del Balbianello, perched atop a small wooded peninsula, and the historic gardens of Villa Carlotta. The tour culminates at Orticolario, an unusual, small garden festival near Como. We will stay at two lovely lakeside hotels offering a perfect combination of elegance and charm: Hotel Villa Flori overlooking Lake Como, and the Grand Hotel Des Iles Borromees on the shores of Lake Maggiore.
BOOKING DETAILS
The price per person, based on two people sharing is £2,999 (a single supplement of £400 is levied by the hotels). Price includes: two nights dinner, bed and breakfast at Grand Hotel Des Iles Borromees, Lake Maggiore and two nights dinner, bed and breakfast at Hotel Villa Flori, Lake Como; four evening meals with wines; plus two lunches and return flights London to Milan. The price does not include extras at either hotel, or travel insurance. For more information or to book please contact: Boxwood Tours, Quality Garden Holidays, Rhiw, Llanbedr, Gwynedd LL45 2NT, UK. Telephone +44 (0)1341 241717 Email mail@boxwoodtours.co.uk Website boxwoodtours.co.uk This tour has been arranged exclusively for readers of Gardens Illustrated by Boxwood Tours, Quality Garden Holidays, a specialist garden tour company set up in 1990 by Sue and Brian Macdonald, Kew-trained, professional gardeners. Note: itineraries are subject to confirmation.