Giardini Botanici Hanbury (Hanbury Botanical Gardens)

The Giardini Botanici Hanbury cover 18 hectares of terraced hillside descending to the sea at La Mortola, on a sheltered headland near Ventimiglia close to the French border at the western end of Liguria. The gardens were founded in 1867 by Sir Thomas Hanbury, a British merchant who had made his fortune in Shanghai, and developed with his botanist brother Daniel into one of the great acclimatisation gardens of the Mediterranean. Now owned and run by the University of Genoa, they hold around 2,500 plant taxa, with strong collections of exotic and Mediterranean species: agaves and aloes, palms, citrus, eucalyptus, an Australian forest, ornamental ponds and a famous wisteria-draped pergola, threaded by paths, fountains and viewpoints over the sea. The old Roman Via Julia Augusta runs through the grounds. Visitors follow a sloping circuit down through the terraces to the coast and back up, taking in the Hanbury villa, the temple of the four seasons and constant glimpses of the blue sea between the planting. A visit takes two to three hours, and because the route is steep and entirely on foot, comfortable shoes and time for the climb back up are needed. The gardens open daily from 9.30am, closing earlier in winter and on Mondays from November to February. They are at their best in spring, from April to June, when much is in bloom, and again in September; summer can be hot on the exposed terraces. The sea framed by exotic foliage, and the pergola in flower, are the standout photographs. Reached by bus from Ventimiglia station or by the coastal road, the gardens are among the most important in Italy and a highlight of the western Riviera dei Fiori.