Giardino Barocco all'italiana dell'Isola Bella

The Baroque gardens of Isola Bella rise in terraces beside the Borromeo palace on Lake Maggiore. Developed from the seventeenth century, the garden transforms a rocky island into a carefully composed architectural landscape.

Why it matters

The garden's design is theatrical: from the lake, the terraces rise toward the Teatro Massimo, a monumental structure that forms the composition's focal point. The garden demonstrates how Baroque landscape design joined architecture, sculpture and planting in a single ensemble.

What to notice

The Teatro Massimo is arranged as a series of terraces crowned by statuary and obelisks. At its summit, the Borromeo unicorn emblem appears with figures representing Honour, Art and Nature. Below, the Garden of Love is organized around four box parterres and a pond. Other features include the Viale degli Aranci, the Torre dei Venti and Torre della Noria, the Serra Elisa greenhouse and the camphor tree on the Piano della Canfora.

Context and history

Until about 1630, Isola Bella was a rocky island inhabited by fishermen. Carlo III Borromeo began the palace and garden project in the 1630s, naming the island in honour of his wife, Isabella d'Adda. The work continued under the Borromeo family, notably Vitaliano VI. Sculptures by Carlo Simonetta are dated to 1667–1677. Later plantings added new character while retaining the garden's Baroque structure.