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Wednesday, August 29, 2012
News: Villa Taranto Gardens To Remain Closed Indefinitely
6:56 AM | 
Dana Kaplan,
Stresa Sights
Editor's note, 12 May, 2013: Villa Taranto reopened March 16, 2013, and is open normal hours for the season. They will close on November 3, 2013 for the winter. Visit their website for more information.
Here's a sad bit of news regarding the gardens at Villa Taranto. The beautiful gardens, considered one of the most important in Italy, were so badly damaged in last week's severe storm that they need to remain closed for the rest of this season, and until further notice, to repair and replant.
( continued... )
The storm, named Beatrice, caused some significant damage along the Borromeo Gulf, as it did across a wide portion of northern Italy, but most services and structures in the Stresa area were operating normally within 48 hours of the event. Taranto seems to be the exception, having apparently taken the brunt of the storm, being hit by a mini-tornado, according to some weather sites.
How incredibly sad... what took a decade to create was destroyed in one evening's storm. The gardens were the passion of the Scottish Captain Neil McEacharn, who began the gardens in 1931 after purchasing the villa. They have been open to the public since 1952, and, after his death in 1964, the captain was interred in a mausoleum on the property.
A notice on Villa Taranto's homepage states it will be closed until further notice. If you were planning to visit the gardens in your upcoming trip, remember to check the site for updates regarding its status.
Some other Villa Taranto reading, and other gardens you can still visit:
Five Gardens of Stresa: A Planning Guide
Editor's Note (added September 4, 2012): Here's a link to an article with more specific and sad details of the destruction: epochtimes
Editor's Note (added September 4, 2012): Here's a link to an article with more specific and sad details of the destruction: epochtimes
photo courtesy of illagomaggiore.com
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10 comments:
This is very sad. Villa Taranto gardens are truly beautiful, and they have many old specimens that are very important from a botanical point of view. I'm hoping, as so many are, that the damage looks worse at first light than it really is. Incidentally, my daughter's name is Beatrice - the name of the storm - and I'm not suprised the damage was so great :-))
@Louise: Will she be known as Storm Beatrice from now on? :-)
And yes, let's hope this truly magical place can be so again very soon. -Dana
Although Taranto was not on our itinery for this year I do hope they can be quickly put back to their former glory. Incidently, earlier this month we visited the house and gardens where Captain McEachern was brought up - Galloway House in Scotland,where he must have started to develop his interest in trees and other plants.
Interesting Donald... I didn't know about Galloway House. -Dana
Yes,his father,Sir Malcolm, bought it in 1908 when Neil was 24 years old. Although Malcolm died in 1910 it remained in the family till 1930 when the Captain sold it. It is in a rather run-down state sadly though, not at all like the magnificent Taranto !
So, I'm speculating here, but if he sold it in 1930 perhaps it was to purchase Villa Taranto and move there. Thank you for the information ...
My husband and I visited the gardens the day before the storm. They are truly magnificant, one of the most beautiful parks I have ever visited. I hope that the gardens can be restored for a visit next year.
What a bittersweet memory Terry... I'm sure the gardens will be magnificent again... different, but always magnificent. Thanks for writing. -Dana
Does anyone know the status of the gardens now? I don't see anything on how well they've recovered.
Paige, happy to report that the gardens reopened on March 16 this year, and will remain open for the entire season, until November 3. It took a massive effort all winter to clean and replant certain areas of the garden; obviously all will not be the same as it was, but much is, seasonal flowers and perennials which were not affected for example. --Dana
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