The Garden

My first impression as I climbed the steps up to the gardens of the villa on Isola Bella was "how preposterous".  Who creates such an ostentatious show piece?  Seventeenth century Italian elites, that's who!

The lady in the blue dress with her arms raised says it all!  

The backdrop for this multi-leveled garden surrounded by trees and sculpted bushes is this fanciful, three-story "Teatro Massimo".  It hides a grand terrace towering behind it.  The terrace was used for parties where elaborately dressed guests could be seen all the way from the mainland as they partied flamboyantly in a place most people would never get to see.  The structure is full of sculptures of sea gods and unicorns and other mythical creatures.

Roaming the lush green lawns in front of the majestic structure were several snow-white peacocks.  They pranced across the long, grassy expanse like royalty, occasionally calling out to each other.  It was an impressive site.

The giant structure made of stone, shells and pebbles seemed to completely overshadow the patches of pretty flowers that were carefully placed around the garden.

Climbing the stairs to get my first glimpse of this place was undeniably jaw-dropping.  Today, the rich show off with fancy cars, boats and airplanes.  Back in the 17th century, the competition for attention was centered on gardens.

Recently, I watched a series on Netflix called "Monty Don's Italian Gardens".  He featured this garden and a few others that I visited on this most recent trip and he talked about how having the most spectacular garden was of utmost importance to social status.  To many it was a game of one-upsmanship.

What a game!  What a garden!