A tribute to the beauty of the famed Italian gardens of Isola Bella and Isola Madre, two precious jewels of Italy’s Lake Maggiore.
The islands of Isola Bella and Isola Madre have belonged to the Borromeo family since the sixteenth century. From the very beginning, this noble Italian family aimed to transform these fishing
islands into small earthly paradises boasting lush gardens. Even today their heirs, Lavinia and her husband, John Elkann, and Beatrice and her husband, Pierre Casiraghi, enjoy these beautiful
gardens, which are now open to the public and attract admirers from all over the world.
With stunning photography and informative texts, this book explores the enchanting scenery of both islands. Named after Countess Isabella Borromeo, Isola Bella is an attractive terraced pyramid
of formal gardens with baroque scenery of monumental stairs, statue-topped balustrades, and obelisks. Isola Madre, the largest of the lake islands, has a beautiful Renaissance palace surrounded
by a botanical garden, famous for its variety of flowers and plants due to the mild climate. The exquisite flora includes azaleas, rhododendrons, magnolias, ancient camellias, water lilies,
lotus flowers, and Mediterranean citrus plants.
So magical that they even once fascinated the French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, the Borromeo Gardens are breathtakingly represented in this lavishly illustrated tome.
