Gardens of the Neapolitan Riviera 9717

We depart from London to Naples. En route to our hotel we will visit the Caserta Palace Gardens, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most beautiful gardens in Europe. Designed by Luigi Vanvitelli in the 18th century, the gardens are a masterpiece of Baroque landscape architecture. The gardens are divided into two parts: the Italian Garden and the English Garden. The Italian Garden is a formal garden with fountains, sculptures and flowerbeds. The English Garden is a more natural garden with trees, lakes and meadows. One of the most iconic features of the gardens is the fountain of Diana and Actaeon and the grand Cascade with its three tiers of fountain cascading down the slope. We have a guided tour here.

Following breakfast we will travel by boat to the beautiful island of Capri which is only 6 kms in length and 2km in width, where we will have our first visit to the gardens of Villa San Michele. The Villa San Michele was built on the site of a Roman manor on the mountain face looking across towards Monte Tiberio and the bay. It houses the Swedish author Axel Munthe’s collection of Roman sculpture, antique furniture and prints and is now the property of the Swedish State. The park of great beauty and botanical interest affords a splendid view of the Gulf of Naples with Vesuvius and the Sorrento peninsula dominating the skyline.
Our second visit will be to Giardini di Augusto with its fantastic panoramic view of the island’s south side. The gardens belonged to the villa of Friedrich Alfred Krupp, son of the founder of the great German steelworks. Built on the ruins of the ancient Roman structures, the gardens were donated by Krupp to Capri. In a corner of the garden a statue of Lenin was erected to commemorate his stay on the island.
 
 

After breakfast we transfer to the harbour in Naples and take a ferry to Ischia, the largest island in the Bay of Naples, to enjoy a visit to the gardens of La Mortella. The composer, Sir William Walton, came here with his wife Susana in 1956 who then started the garden in the sloping gully before building the house in 1962. Russell Page, the garden designer, drew up a plan for the south-sloping valley, allowing the rocky ground to dictate the seemingly naturalistic planting style but imposing his own geometry – an axial line framing the distant peak of Mount Ipomeo. Here you will be dazzled by the array of rare and tender trees, palms, shrubs, ferns and bulbs. La Mortella is not only a garden of lush exotics, but simultaneously indigenous plants cling precario0usly to the steep terraced hillsides above. Umbrella pines, groves of ilex and arbutus, Italian cypresses and myrtles thrive here in glorious companionship. A guided tour is included.
This afternoon there will be some free time to explore at leisure before we return by boat to Naples and transfer to our hotel, where the evening is at leisure.
 

This morning, after breakfast, we visit the gardens of Villa Rufolo, which commands picture perfect views over the Amalfi coast. This is one of the oldest surviving palaces in Italy dating from the 13th century – Wagner visited the villa in 1880 and was inspired to write part of his opera Parisfal here. On the upper terrace umbrella pines and cypresses shade a wellhead while on a lower level classical geometric beds edged with box are filled with modern flowers. Tender plants which thrive in the mild climate are a feature of the lower terrace.
In the afternoon we will visit the gardens of Villa Cimbrone, a 19th century Moorish/English hybrid by William Beckett, Lord Grimthorpe, who owned the property until 1900. The garden was designed on a clifftop promontory with magnificent views of the Amalfi coast jutting out 106 metres above the Mediterranean. Trees, flowers and plants grow in profusion. A wisteria clad pergola stretches almost the full length of the central axis, while on either side there are imaginative themed gardens including a stretch of lawn decorated with statues, a sunken teahouse garden, a rose garden and a shady grove of umbrella pines and cypresses which descends down the steep slopes to the valleys below.

After breakfast the day is at your leisure, alternatively why not join our optional excursion – Sorrento Lemon, Olive Oil and Wine tasting tour with lunch as we experience some of the wonderfully produced local specialities. We take a walk among ancient olive oils and lemon trees and visit both an ancient and a modern olive oil mill, before we taste a variety of different types of olive oils, jams, vinegar, limoncello and liqueurs – a truly tantalizing treat for the tastebuds. We also enjoy some wine tasting accompanied by a light lunch.
 
 

Today, we are joined by a local expert guide for a day to explore the archaeological wonders of Pompeii, which was of course the town tragically drowned in lava following the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. The town was buried under 23 feet of ash, which solidified with rain and time, preserving everything as if it was in a time capsule. Hidden for centuries, excavation work revealed an elegant resort with complete streets, beautiful villas and sculptures. Now almost four-fifths of the original city has been unearthed and many of the treasures are housed in the National Museum in Naples.
 
 

After breakfast, we transfer to Naples airport for our return flight to London.