The garden of Isola Madre

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. Beyond a charming grove of bamboo, the Scala dei Glicini appears, captivating visitors with its striking perspective of alternating flights of stairs and landings set at regular intervals, framed by arches draped with a remarkable collection of intensely fragrant wisteria. Among the three genera of wisteria – native to the Americas, China, and Japan – Isola Madre’s collection boasts an impressive 18 varieties.

At the end of the avenue lies the Piano delle Camelie. Isola Madre was one of the first gardens in Italy, as early as 1830, to feature a camellia collection. Today, around 150 species and hybrids bloom across the islands, flourishing on dramatic espaliered displays. Within the genus Camellia, the gardens showcase key species such as Camellia japonica, C. reticulata, and C. sinensis (better known as the tea plant), alongside the autumn-blooming C. sasanqua. Some specimens, thanks to the garden's long history, have grown to truly impressive dimensions. Beyond the ancient dockyard, home to a rare collection of tropical tree ferns, stretches the Prato dei Gobbi, a lawn where the exposed roots of a majestic 200-year-old bald cypress rise dramatically from the ground. 

Passing the grand staircase—once the island’s main entrance—and the meadow of Gynerium, a striking South American grass, visitors are drawn by the melodic calls of the birds in the aviaries of Piazzale dei Pappagalli. Azaleas, camellias, and flowering magnolias frame breathtaking views of the shores of Lake Maggiore, inviting you to stop and enjoy a bucolic respite in the company of brightly plumed peacocks and pheasants.

The Loggia del Kashmir is one of Isola Madre’s defining landmarks, named for the magnificent Kashmir cypress standing sentinel before the palace. Its seeds arrived from the East in 1862, but the tree faced a near-death experience during the tornado of 2006, which felled this giant—the largest specimen of its kind in Europe. Thanks to swift action and a sophisticated engineering effort, the tree was saved, and today its graceful, blue-green foliage continues to inspire wonder.

Isola Madre’s exotic character is further enhanced by a rare collection of proteas, South Africa’s national flower, as well as numerous palm species concentrated in the Piazzale della Cappella, alongside irises, reeds, and a pool of tropical blue water lilies. The nearby Viale delle Palme, with its stately rows of palms leading to the palace, offers a riot of color with blooming bougainvillea, while the central lotus pool makes an ideal backdrop for one last photo before bidding farewell to the island.