Giardini di Villa della Pergola

On the hillside above Alassio, the Gardens of Villa della Pergola combine an Anglo-Mediterranean landscape with extensive plant collections. Their terraces preserve a garden begun in the 1870s by General Montagu McMurdo and Lady Susan Sarah Napier, later restored by landscape architect Paolo Pejrone.

Why it matters

The gardens are a rare surviving example of the Anglo-Mediterranean landscapes created by British families who wintered on the Riviera. The McMurdos began the garden in the second half of the 1870s, and it has retained its historic extent. Rescued from development in 2006, the property was renewed under Pejrone's direction. Its botanical collections include more than 500 varieties of agapanthus and 34 varieties of wisteria.

What to notice

Maritime pines, carobs, olives, almonds, cypresses and holm oaks form the evergreen structure of the terraces. Seasonal flowering plants include wisteria, agapanthus, hydrangeas, oleanders, bougainvillea and banksiae roses. Jacaranda, araucaria, giant strelitzia and tree ferns add more exotic forms, while ponds contain lotus and waterlilies. The garden's restored layout preserves the visual relationships between the villa, planted terraces and sea.

Context and history

Villa della Pergola began as an Anglo-Indian-style villa in 1875, set within the garden established by the McMurdo family. After a period of decline, the property faced development in the early 2000s and was rescued in 2006. The subsequent restoration conserved its historic layout and renewed its planting under Paolo Pejrone. The garden received the Parco più Bello d'Italia award in 2022 and became a Partner Garden of the Royal Horticultural Society in 2025.