Giardini Botanici dell'Isola Madre, Botanical garden in Isola Madre, Italy.

The Giardini Botanici dell'Isola Madre cover 8 hectares on Isola Madre in Lake Maggiore, laid out over seven terraces. Named sections include the Loggia del Cashmir with cypresses, the Piano delle Camelie with one of Italy's earliest camellia collections, the Piazzale dei Pappagalli with parrots, peacocks and pheasants, and the Viale delle Palme with palms up to 125 years old.

The garden was founded in the early 1500s under Count Lancillotto Borromeo, initially serving as a citrus orchard. In the late 1700s, it was redesigned in the English style and transformed into a romantic garden devoted to collecting exotic plants.

The garden's name comes from the Borromeo family, who still own Isola Madre. Its English-style layout, designed for Count Vitaliano Borromeo in the late 18th century, replaced a citrus orchard. Visitors can see the family chapel on the Piazzale della Cappella, built in 1858, and the parrots, peacocks and pheasants kept at the Piazzale dei Pappagalli.

The garden is reachable by ferry from Stresa, which runs regularly throughout the day. The best time to visit is during the warmer months, when the plants are in full bloom and all areas of the property are open to visitors.

The Viale delle Palme holds a palm collection with specimens up to 125 years old, and the island's seven terraces also shelter one of Italy's earliest camellia collections, the Piano delle Camelie. Napoleon Bonaparte, Gustave Flaubert and Théophile Gautier all visited the gardens.