Facing the marvellous Gulf of Alassio, in the Ligurian Riviera, are the Giardini di Villa della Pergola: an historical Park built in the late XIX Century, they offer a breathtaking and
peerless view on the whole Gulf and on the Gallinara Island. Exalted by the composer Edward Elgar in its renowned symphony In the South (Alassio) and praised by writer Cecil Roberts in its Portal to Paradise, Alassio was at the time a charming destination to British people, that right here established a wide colony.
The Gardens are a unique example of an Anglo-Mediterranean park that has preserved its original size, at the same time being also one of the rare examples of English garden in Italy.
The 22.000 sq.m. are home to renowned botanical collections such as Wisteria, with 34 varieties, and a unique collection in Europe of almost 500 different varieties of Agapanthus. Here you can find the typical mediterranean flora together with the evergreen exotic:
Maritime Pines, Carob Trees, Olive Trees, Almond Trees, Cypresses, Cedar from Lebanon, Holm Oak and an unexpected collection of Citrus are wisely arranged near Eucalyptus, Jacaranda, Araucaria, Strelitzia Nicolai, Diksoniae, Palms, Cactaceae from every latitude.
Seasonal blossoming of Thunbergia, Spireae, Oak Leaf Hydrangea, Oleander, Pelargonium, Bougainvillea, Datura, Bignonia, Solanum and Jasmine astonish the visitors through a path of scents and colours.
The Gardens are today part of the networks "Grandi Giardini Italiani" and "Garden Route Italia", and in 2022 were awarded as "The most beautiful Garden in Italy".