When: From 8 March to 10 November 2019. Every day from 9.00 to 19.00. March, October and November from 9.00 to 18.00.
Where: Via Cavour, 1, 37067 Valeggio sul Mincio (VR).
Distance from Residence La Mason: 58 km, 45 minutes.
The Sigurtà Garden, located on the bank of the Mincio, one of the tributaries of the Po, is a huge park of 60 hectares, perfect for spending a day in the nature.
The history
In the fifteenth century, it was a simple farm owned by a powerful Venetian lord: next to the main building, however, there was a small garden dedicated to the lords’ leisure, the first nucleus of the current park. More than two centuries later, the land was acquired by the Maffei lineage and in 1792 the Marquis Antonio Maffei, lover of art and beauty, decided, on the advice of his nephew and poet Ippolito Pindemonte, to transform the park into a romantic English garden, combining natural and artificial elements and favoring a free and wild vegetation. When, in 1941, the Sigurtà family bought the land, the great redevelopment project of the park began, especially thanks to the possibility of irrigating the garden by taking water from the Mincio: the vegetation became luxuriant like never before and the park began to grow in size until it reached the current state.
Visiting the park
Today, the garden is home to many plants: the most beautiful blooms are undoubtedly tulips, at the beginning of spring, which color the park with over 300 different types, and roses, which bloom from May in more than 30,000 specimens, especially in Queen Elizabeth and Hybrid Polyantha & Floribunda varieties. The list continues with the flowering of colorful irises, lotus flowers, water lilies, sunflowers, some of them even more than two meters high, and many other flowers.
There are also many attractions, including a real labyrinth, in the middle of which stands a tower from which to admire the view (if you can find the path!), the Aquatic Gardens, which house delicate water lilies, and the oldest tree in the garden, the Great Oak, a majestic four-century specimen whose foliage covers about 1000 square meters. Furthermore, children will love the educational farm, which is home to donkeys, sheep and goats, and the Deer Valley, where they can spot deers in herds especially during the summer.
The extension of the park is considerable and to explore it visitors can choose the vehicle they prefer: you can decide to walk around the garden on foot, with the help of a map provided at the entrance, or to cycle (it is possible to use your own bike, or to rent one inside the park). Alternatively, you can take the train that runs along the “Enchanted trail”, the panoramic tour that will take you to all the most suggestive corners of the park, or the electric shuttle with a professional guide. Finally, another option is to rent a golf cart with an automatic guide available in four languages.
For prices and more information, please visit the official website.
