From shades of green to gold, October paints the gardens with new reflections

Autumn tiptoes into the destinations of Terre Borromeo on Lake Maggiore. With the arrival of October, the gardens of the Borromean Islands, Rocca di Angera, and Parco Pallavicino are adorned with the first colors of the foliage season. The landscape begins to transform into a warm palette full of shades. Alongside the last blooms, the golden and copper crowns of the monumental trees stand out. To admire this spectacle of nature, there is time until November 2: the final day this year to enter the gardens and sites of Terre Borromeo.

In October, Isola Bella is wrapped in the warm colors of the Ginkgo and the bald cypresses, trees belonging to the cypress and sequoia family which, unlike them, are not evergreen. Their leaves fall romantically along the island’s avenues. The flowerbeds continue to amaze with the vibrant shades of asters, which extend their blooming in tones of pink and bright purple. Adding a cheerful touch to autumn are the panicle hydrangeas, whose white summer flowers transform with elegant strokes of deep pink.

The brilliant shades of gold prevail in the landscape of Isola Madre at this time of year. Two trees in particular catch the eye for their foliage: the Ginkgo biloba and the Taxodium distichum. The former dons a vivid yellow that cannot go unnoticed: its fan-shaped leaves, before falling, illuminate the gardens with a wonderful golden light. On the ground, they create a highly charming carpet at the base of the tree. The Taxodium changes its look in October: its needle-like yet soft leaves shift from the light green of spring to a bronze-red that brings depth to the garden.

Perhaps not everyone knows that the tulip tree also exists. Among the great trees of Parco Pallavicino, in October the Liriodendron tulipifera, known precisely as the tulip tree, stands out. Native to North America, it reveals its most scenic look in October: its uniquely shaped four-lobed leaves turn from green to bright yellow, covering the park’s avenues and lawns.

At the Rocca di Angera, on the Lombard side of the lake, the true protagonists of the moment are the fruits. In the medieval garden, pomegranates ripen, ancient symbols of abundance and fertility, whose red seeds are a timeless emblem. Beside them, pumpkins of various shapes and colors bring with them the most authentic atmosphere of autumn: real icons of the season, they ripen until November.