#34 / Discovering villas and gardens
Today we have a special edition of #awalkwithMarco. This time, instead of taking a journey through our imagination, I’ll tell you about a trip I actually made. I was in Varese a few days ago for a special photo shoot: the launch of the new SS21 Collection. By the way: have you seen the Preview yet?
Why Varese? Because it’s the city of villas! I was looking for a charming and typically Italian location to reveal this new Collection: these houses were perfect for us. They’re gorgeous! Perfect not only for revealing our new models but also our DNA – we’re (seriously) Made in Italy...
Built between the eighteenth and twentieth centuries – first by the nobility, and then by leaders of industry – these villas (and the greenery that surrounds them) are so numerous that Varese has taken on the nickname Garden City. WOW!
The great thing is that many of these parks are open to the public.
- For example, the eighteenth-century Giardini Estensi – joined to the current town hall.
- Villa Mirabello and its park, home to the Civic Museum, with an English garden that forms an extension of the Giardini Estensi.
- Villa Baragiola and its park (with more than 7 hectares of green space), which was once a hippodrome but is now a municipality exhibition space.
- Also owned by the city, the nineteenth-century Villa Mylius (also with a super park).
- Finally, the Villa Augusta and Toeplitz parks are both open to the public; the Toeplitz features incredibly scenic fountains, water features and picnic areas: the perfect garden for one of our famous revitalising stops, with a selection of delicacies and a few glasses of wine... ;)
But back to our shoot: for which we chose the eighteenth-century Villa Paradeisos. Between shooting we were lucky enough to be able to feast our eyes on coffered ceilings, inlaid parquet floors, tapestries and damasks, marble and palladiana roof trusses, curtains, woodwork, crystal, stucco work, ceiling roses... Also, what a garden!
Despite there being so much work to do (one day I’ll tell you all about the behind the scenes of a photo shoot), I couldn’t resist allowing myself a stroll through the park along the paths which wind down the slope towards Lake Varese. What a view! The luxuriant vegetation, the lake at the bottom and the peaks of the Alps to cap it all off! Truly rejuvenating!
Wandering along, I discovered the Rose Garden with its statuary and the Japanese Garden, desired by the current owners, as well as the Greenhouse with all its exotic essences. They practically had to drag me away. I was lost amongst colours, scents, statues and the awe of it all...
Well, it’s time to say goodbye for today too. But my stomach is rumbling, so I suggest trying some zincarlin, a fresh cheese typical of the Alpine foothills: spreadable and mainly made of goat cheese (here in Varese). Obviously, it’s delicious! It’s light too, which isn’t a bad thing, is it?
Now we really have to say goodbye: as always, #staysafe
See you soon, a big green hug from
Marco
