We are accustomed to seeing the gardens on Isola Bella in all their spring and summer splendor; like when we recently looked at the
Giardino d'Amore section of it, with brilliant white peacocks strutting on lush green lawns and an explosion of flowers and colors. But look here... on a gray, damp, foggy day in February the gardens of the Palazzo Borromeo have a different kind of beauty... almost ethereal... Without the distraction of blossoms and blooms, other features catch our eye, other secrets wait to be discovered. Following, thanks to Giampiero Zanzi, owner of Wunderkammer and the founder of Lo Spirito del Lago art show, is a rare look at these gardens at a time when almost no one gets to see them.
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| He looks out over a lake that can't be seen... |
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| And they gaze at a garden that's completely empty |
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| Wondering, perhaps, where everyone has gone... |
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| Even the plants have gone into hiding. |
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| With no visitors to entertain maybe they speak to each other. A little gossip... |
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| ...or an offer of a small gift. |
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| Other elements, overlooked before, have their chance to be seen. |
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| An elaborate iron gate. |
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| A fence that features symbols of the Borromeo family. |
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| The unicorn and three rings. |
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| But the peacocks, like always, are keeping watch, and waiting for spring, and you, to return. |
Thanks again to Giampiero for the kind use of his photographs. Who knows, maybe these will turn up on some of his unique crafts at his shop, Wunderkammer. And if you're here in the summer don't miss Lo Spirito del Lago, the very progressive art exhibit that Giampiero organizes in lo Spazio Luparia in Stresa and in various centuries-old venues on Isola Bella.
Saturday, March 26, 2011 will be the opening day at the Borromeo properties.
Photographs are all the property of Giampiero Zanzi and may only be used with his permission.
