Lake Maggiore|Italy

September 2018

If you asked me to describe my perfect day, it would probably include these components: coffee, sunshine, wandering around a garden, the beach or water, and good food. So, after a day adventuring solo, I was thrilled that Aidan was recovered enough to venture out to ‘Giardini Botanici Villa Taranto’, a botanic garden situated 30 minutes from Belgirate.

Little did we know, our visit perfectly coincided with the garden’s annual dahlia exhibition, ‘The Dahlia Maze’. With over 350 different varieties in almost every colour you can imagine, the maze was visually stunning. From huge blousy blooms to perfectly spherical pompoms, we were spoiled for choice.

We had ‘Cafe au Lait’ dahlias (above left) front and centre at our wedding, so I always get a pang of happy nostalgia when I see them in ‘real life’. The palest of pink with hints of peach: sensational.

As you can see, it wasn’t just us enjoying the blooms - but the bees, hoverflies, butterflies and dragonflies flitted around us as we moved from flower to flower.

Although we could have photographed the dahlias for hours, we eventually moved on and strolled around the remainder of this beautiful garden.

Containing a glasshouse, a mausoleum, a villa, terraced gardens and more - there was plenty to keep us occupied at Villa Taranto.

Now, a little history: Villa Taranto was bought in 1931 by a Scottish Captain intent on creating a beautiful English garden on the lakes of Maggiore. Enter thousands of rare plants, some heavy landscaping to create valleys and water features, and almost a decade later, the garden was complete.

Not the biggest garden we’ve ever visited, but a great size for a lazy day’s ambling in the sun. Throw in a quick swim and sunbathe at the beach on the way home, and you’ve got yourself a pretty special day.

Oh - and don’t forget that coffee. In my case, a coffee-flavoured gelato. Delicious!

The useful bits:

• Villa Taranto is open from March to November each year; you can see the Dahlia maze between July and October.
• Its closest, largest town is Stresa - around 15km (a 20 minute drive).
• Their website has useful information on how to get there using other forms of transport.
• Tickets cost around £10, and dogs (on leads) are permitted!