Giardini La Mortella

La Mortella is a garden of two contrasting landscapes on the volcanic slopes above Forio: a humid valley of pools, tree ferns and giant water lilies, and a sunlit hillside of aloes, agaves and Mediterranean-climate plants. Russell Page designed the garden for composer William Walton and his wife Susana, who spent decades shaping it.

Why it matters

Conceived by a musician's family, La Mortella brings landscape and music together. The Waltons bought the wild slope on the Zaro promontory after settling on Ischia. Susana Walton invited English landscape architect Russell Page to draw a master plan that worked with the volcanic rocks, then spent more than fifty years planting and enriching the garden. After her husband's death in 1983, she opened it to the public in 1991 and entrusted it to the Fondazione William Walton La Mortella.

What to notice

The sheltered valley garden carries a stream through pools and fountains, past tree ferns, magnolias and camellias. Victoria House shelters the giant South American water lily, while tropical climbers include the turquoise jade vine. Higher on the hill, the character shifts to a drier Mediterranean garden of aloes, agaves, proteas and echiums. The Temple of the Sun, a Thai pavilion among lotus and bamboo, and broad views across the Tyrrhenian complete the ascent. Concerts in the indoor Recital Hall and open-air Greek theatre continue the garden's musical life.

Context and history

The Waltons came to Ischia after marrying in December 1948, first renting before buying the Le Mortelle property on the Zaro headland. Page's first design dates to 1956, and the garden's creation followed from 1958. Lady Walton directed planting and building works, experimenting with species from five continents. In 2003 she transferred the property and its management to the Fondazione William Walton La Mortella, whose mission joins conservation of the garden with the promotion of her husband's music.