Giardini Botanico di Villa Taranto

Our final garden visit was to the youngest garden on our list, established by Scotsman Captain Neil McEacham, who bought Villa Taranto and 50 acres surrounding it in 1930. As you may have gathered this was no ordinary captain. He was born into a wealthy Scots family, owners of a shipping company, rich iron and coal mines and vast estates in Australia. Neil first came to Italy at the age of eight and it was an experience that changed the course of his life. He loved the landscape here in the Italian lakes and so began his long interest in botany and plants. He bought the property having seen an advertisement in The Times and soon began to transform its appearance. Between 1931 -40 two thousand trees were felled, massive earthworks were undertaken and 8 kilometres of pipes were laid to facilitate the water features he had planned. The most delicate work was the botanical repopulation. Seeds and plants were collected and brought from all over the world, using the fleet of company ships that were at his disposal!
His grand scheme was almost complete at the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939. McEacham was then considered an enemy of the state and deported to Switzerland and to his horror had to leave his creation. The solution was to present his beloved Villa Taranto and its garden to the Italian State, on the condition that it should remain private. The estate was entrusted to his great friend and lawyer Antonio Capelletto. Captain McEacham rode out the war years in Australia, where of course his family had business connections.
On his return after the war the garden and villa had inevitably fallen into a state of neglect and he was encouraged to put it to rights and open the garden to the public, which he achieved somewhat miraculously by 1952.
Today the garden is full of unusual plants from all over the world. There are some 20,000 plants representing more than 3000 species set among 7 kilometres of paths. It is a total tour de force. Sadly the Captain did not live long afterwards to see his creation so admired. He is buried in a purpose built mausoleum in the midst of his fabulous garden, which seems a fitting conclusion to an extraordinary life’s work.Read more