Day 1
We depart from London on a direct flight to Nice (other regional flight connections may be available on request). On arrival we will be met by our local coach and transfer to the gardens of La Mortola, just over the border at Ventimiglia in Italy. Now over a hundred years old, the garden was named after the thickets of wild myrtle on the rocky shore and was planted after 1867 by Sir Thomas Hanbury, by whose name it is also known. It was planned as a botanic collection of outstanding interest and tender exotics from South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and South America were planted and flourished. La Mortola is perhaps the greatest of the Riviera Gardens - great in its accumulated years, the richness of its collections, the power of its presence on all who behold it, and not least in the impact it has had all over the French and Italian Riviera.
Following our visit here we continue to our hotel in Genoa, travelling along the scenic coastline of the Italian Riviera, with the Mediterranean on one side and the mountains of Liguria on the other. The evenings are free at leisure and you may have dinner (not included) in one of the many fine restaurants nearby.
Day 2
This morning, following breakfast, we head east along the coast to the Cinque Terre (‘Five Lands’) a rugged landscape which in parts is inaccessible by road. Over the centuries five villages have been built on terraces painstakingly carved out of the hillsides, right up to the cliffs that overlook the sea, and the whole area is now inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We meet our local guide at the first of the villages, Manorola, and continue along the panoramic ‘Via dell’ Amore’ as far as the picturesque village of Riomaggiore. From here we take a train, which weaves in and out of tunnels along the coast to Monterosso, the largest village of Cinque Terre. After an opportunity for lunch here (the region specialises in fish dishes), we continue by train to Vernazza, perhaps the most stunning of all the villages, built on a rocky headland with panoramic views along the coast in either direction. We return by train to Manarola and by coach back to Genoa.
Evening at leisure.
Day 3
Following breakfast this morning we have a tour of our host city of Genoa, also known as ‘La Superba’ due to its glorious past. In particular we will visit the waterfront gardens of the Palazzo del Principe, built in the 16th century for the Doria Pamphili princes, and the Palazzo Lomellino, which has the most elaborate façade of all the buildings on the Via Garibaldi, the main thoroughfare, as well as an intriguing hanging garden.
In the afternoon we take a boat trip to the village of San Fruttuoso, set in a breathtakingly beautiful inlet lying at the foot of Mount Portofino. The village lies around San Fruttuoso di Capodimonte Benedictine monastery, which has a tranquil little garden as well as a 10th century church, a 13th century abbey and a small Romanesque cloister. Further along the coast, we will also visit the fashionable (and very pretty) harbour village of Portofino, an opportunity to mingle with the rich and famous in this exclusive yet undeniably charming resort.
We return to our hotel in Genoa, where the evening is at leisure.
Day 4
After breakfast today we transfer to the town of Fivizzano, which lies up in the hills of north-western Tuscany. Here we visit the garden of the Villa La Pescigola, a romantic and rather mysterious villa with panoramic views over the hills of Lunigiana, which for over 600 years has been the property of various aristocratic Tuscan families. At the beginning of the 20th century, the then owner, Mrs. Felice Adami, brought about notable changes to the garden. She was responsible for planting the majestic Atlantic cedars that stand guard over the villa and the lovely avenue that departs from the “Oratory of the Guardian Angel” down a sylvan path. Further along this walk is a green wall of bay trees (Laurus nobilis) which leads to a secret wood, where a large stone basin receives a constant jet of clear, cool, pure mountain water, surrounded by a plethora of maiden hair ferns and sprays of colourful orchids.
In the afternoon we return to the coast and the town of Lerici, where we tour the exquisite gardens of the Villa Marigola, a seaside villa on a grand scale that has enchanted visitors for more than two hundred years. The large terraced garden was at the heart of the original 18th century building and was famous for its citrus orchard. From the mid 19th century the garden took on a more romantic, decadent aspect, where intertwining paths, flanked by Mediterranean shrubs, end abruptly in balconies and windows that overlook the Gulf of Lerici with breathtaking effect. In the 19th century the old citrus orchard was replaced with a larger garden, which captures the sinuous elegance of the late Italian Liberty style.
We return to our hotel in Genoa where we have our final evening at leisure.
Day 5
After checking out of our hotel this morning, we travel to back towards the border with France to Ventimiglia, where we visit the Villa Boccanegra. The garden was acquired by the English botanist Helen Willmott, who introduced rare and exotic plants to the terraces and olive groves of the original property, which slope gracefully down to the sea. Today this glorious Riviera landscape is tended by the Piacenza family, who have recently introduced numerous species of African bulbs.
Later we will transfer to Nice airport for our flight back to London where the group will disperse or transfer to regional flight connections.