Europe's Most Extraordinary Gardens: From Tuscany to Norway
A selection of Europe's extraordinary gardens highlights a variety of artistic and gardening accomplishments. Niki de Saint Phalle's Tarot Garden in Tuscany boasts 22 large sculptures inspired by tarot imagery. The terraced gardens of Isola Bella on Lake Maggiore, established in 1632 for the Borromeo family, ascend 37 meters above the water. The Kröller-Müller Museum in the Netherlands houses the continent's largest sculpture garden, covering 25 hectares and featuring over 200 pieces, along with the second-largest collection of Van Gogh works. The Lost Gardens of Heligan in Cornwall were revitalized after their neglect following World War I. Norway's Kistefos Museum showcases The Twist, a 60-meter bridge-gallery. Sintra's Monserrate Palace exhibits a mix of architectural styles, while Granada's Generalife gardens utilize 13th-century irrigation techniques. Additionally, Swarovski Kristallwelten displays a massive grass-covered head, and Bomarzo's Parco dei Mostri features grotesque sculptures. Villa d'Este is renowned for its 500 fountains, and the Yorkshire Sculpture Park encompasses 500 acres.
Key facts
- Niki de Saint Phalle's Tarot Garden in Capalbio, Tuscany, includes 22 monumental sculptures and a habitable Empress sculpture with mirrored interiors.
- Isola Bella's terraced gardens on Lake Maggiore were begun in 1632 for the Borromeo family, rising 37 meters above the lake.
- Kröller-Müller Museum in Otterlo, Netherlands, has Europe's largest sculpture garden (25 hectares, 200+ sculptures) and the second-largest Van Gogh collection (91 paintings, 180 drawings).
- The Lost Gardens of Heligan in Cornwall were abandoned after WWI and rediscovered in 1990, restored over 80 hectares.
- Kistefos Museum's The Twist in Norway is a 60-meter twisted bridge-gallery by BIG, built on a former pulp mill site.
- Monserrate Palace in Sintra, Portugal, was built after Francis Cook read Lord Byron's poem 'Childe Harold's Pilgrimage'.
- Generalife gardens in Granada use 13th-century gravity-fed irrigation from the Sierra Nevada without pumps.
- Swarovski Kristallwelten in Wattens, Austria, features a giant head spouting 30,000 liters per minute and has hosted 17 million visitors in 30 years.
- Parco dei Mostri in Bomarzo was created in 1552 by Prince Pier Francesco Orsini as a sacred wood with monstrous stone sculptures.
- Villa d'Este in Tivoli has 500 gravity-powered fountains and a 1571 hydraulic organ that plays every two hours.
- Yorkshire Sculpture Park, founded in 1977, spans 500 acres with works by Henry Moore, Andy Goldsworthy, and KAWS.
Entities
Artists
- Niki de Saint Phalle
- Rafael Lozano-Hemmer
- André Heller
- Bjarke Ingels
- Dana Schutz
- Lord Byron
- Francis Cook
- Pier Francesco Orsini
- Ippolito d'Este
- Lucrezia Borgia
- Henry Moore
- Andy Goldsworthy
- KAWS
- William Kentridge
- Jean Dubuffet
- Aristide Maillol
- Richard Serra
- Claes Oldenburg
Institutions
- Kröller-Müller Museum
- Kistefos Museum
- Swarovski Kristallwelten
- Yorkshire Sculpture Park
- Bretton Hall
- Borromeo family
- Bettini family
- UNESCO
- Aga Khan Award for Architecture
Locations
- Capalbio
- Tuscany
- Italy
- Isola Bella
- Lake Maggiore
- Piedmont
- Otterlo
- Netherlands
- Heligan
- Cornwall
- England
- Jevnaker
- Norway
- Sintra
- Portugal
- Granada
- Spain
- Wattens
- Tyrol
- Austria
- Bomarzo
- Tivoli
- Yorkshire
- United Kingdom
- Oslo
- Stresa
- Sierra Nevada
- Rome