One cool and overcast Wednesday in early October of 2008, I caught the 09:30 ferry boat from Desenzano on the shores of Lake Garda in northern Italy. It was very misty out on the lake. The shore became almost invisible as the ferry left port and churned across the smooth water. The boat stopped at several small towns, taking on only a few passengers, and then reached Gardone Riviera, where I disembarked.

A few minutes’ walk uphill from the ferry landing brought me to the gates of the Giardino Botanico Hruska. I used a tourist discount voucher (given to me by my hotel) to get 1 Euro off the entry fee. Inside the garden, as well as exotic blooms, there was an exhibition of outdoor art. At every turn of the winding paths strange statues, staring painted faces, and abstract sculptures lurked.

Fog machines laid an undulating carpet of mist in the bamboo grove.

Two cast-iron faces spat water intermittently at each other across a rustic bridge, so visitors had to time their crossing carefully.

A serene white Buddha seemed to float on the surface of a koi pond.

Whimsical creatures, half-animal and half-human, cavorted on the painted panels of a gazebo.

Despite the lateness of the season, the garden was full of flowers: begonias, orchids, fuchsias, asters, roses, impatiens, hibiscus, cosmos daisies, dahlias, autumn crocus, and more. Amongst the lush plantings, I unexpectedly found a desert section.

In an earthenware cauldron filled to the brim with water floated colored leaves plucked from many varieties of coleus.

Nice!

Miniature mountains assembled from tufa and boulders overlooked a series of small ponds fed by waterfalls. The place was quite magical.



End of tour!