A small Eden on the largest of the Borromean Islands.
A lush island of greenery in the waters of the Gulf of Borromeo: this is Isola Madre. Spanning eight hectares and blessed with a mild climate, it’s a haven of spectacular blooms and vibrantly colored birds. Gustave Flaubert must have felt the same enchantment when, in the 19th century, he called it “the most voluptuous place in the world”. At the island’s highest point stands a palace, elegant and unadorned, gazing out over the lake since the 16th century. Once a private home, intimate and familial, its rooms and furnishings still evoke the life of that era.
Before becoming the remarkable botanical garden it is today, the island was an agricultural estate, planted with vines, fig trees, olive trees, chestnuts, and cherry orchards. These changes began under Count Lancillotto Borromeo. Upon his death, the property passed to the Trivulzio family when his daughter Isabella Borromeo married Renato Trivulzio. In 1563, the estate returned to the Borromeo family. Over the years, Isola Madre changed its name several times: first San Vittore, then Isola Maggiore, and later Isola Renata. The current name, Isola Madre, is thought to honor Margherita Trivulzio, Renato I’s mother, who brought the estate back into the Borromeo fold—or perhaps it reflects the island’s distinction as the first owned by the family.
As the years passed, the gardens were enriched with rare and exotic plants. The vineyards, olive trees, and citrus groves gradually gave way to a more romantic and exotic character. By the 19th century, new landscape designs emerged: groves, meadows, and a wider array of plants – including camellias, azaleas, rhododendrons, and magnolias – flourished alongside oleanders and hibiscus, thriving in the island’s gentle climate. The first greenhouses were built in 1826. In 1858, a family chapel was added on a lower garden terrace. By the early 20th century, palms and exotic conifers had also arrived, completing the island’s transformation.
The palace of Isola Madre is the evolution of a building initially constructed without much ambition, which later became the residence of the Borromeo family and is now a museum.
The starting point for exploring the gardens of Isola Madre is Viale Africa. As its name suggests, this sun-drenched, temperate path is lined with subtropical and evergreen plants, including bitter orange trees, laurel groves, cacti, and aloe.
Arriving on Isola Madre means stepping into a tranquil oasis of nature, where an unusually mild climate prevails despite the island’s proximity to the mountains. Wandering through the island is like taking a journey across the globe, with rare and exotic species flourishing in its botanical garden, their fragrances filling the air at the height of blooming season. The calendar is a parade of colors: camellias blossom as early as March, followed by azaleas and proteas in April. Rhododendrons, roses, cacti, and water lilies brighten the landscape in May and June. By midsummer, the exuberance of hibiscus, bougainvillea, and morning glories is nothing short of astonishing. The experience extends into the Palazzo—a time capsule of 17th-century history, art, traditions, and curiosities—and concludes with a lakeside moment in the café or restaurant, gazing at the shimmering blues of the water.
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