Botanical Gardens

André Heller Botanic Garden: Lago di Garda

Haring Sculpture Andre Heller Garden Photo © Alice Joyce

Touring the towns and villages of Lago di Garda will fill your days and nights with wondrous views and vistas. I choose to stay in Bardolino, on the eastern side of the lake, traveling by bus, ferry, and foot path to explore Lake Garda’s delightful towns and villages. Gardone Riviera is one of the beautiful towns situated on the lake’s western edge. Here, you’ll discover the fascinating landscape of Giardino Botanico André Heller, where in decades past, Dr. Arthur Hruska nurtured a botanical setting featuring streams and sweet, small lakes to complement the rich plantings. In 1988 the multimedia artist André Heller became owner of the villa property, “protector and ally” in Heller’s words. Today, Fondazione André Heller oversees the lush gardens, boasting art installations and elements of surprise at every turn.

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England

Bloomsbury Murals: Sussex

Berwick Church mural by Angelica Bell Photo © Alice Joyce

In the breathtaking Sussex countryside of the South Downs, Berwick Church is a must-see destination for all travelers who are interested in the artists and writers associated with the Bloomsbury Group. The church’s clear glass windows replaced the Victorian windows destroyed by bombs during World War II. Verdant floral arrangements are installed throughout the church during the Springtime’s Light of Light Flower Festival. A forward-thinking Bishop with an appreciation for the Arts chose to commission the 20th century murals that adorn the church, hiring British artist Duncan Grant, together with Vanessa Bell (Virginia Woolf’s sister), and her son, Quentin Bell. Below: The original pulpit panels painted by Vanessa Bell were vandalized in 1962. Daughter Angelica Bell designed the replacement artwork.

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California Wine Country

Gleaming Golden Dome in Stags Leap: Quixote Winery

Quixote Winery Hundertwasser Design Photo © Alice Joyce

Uniquely set apart by buoyant architecture – created by the ecologically-oriented, Viennese artist Hundertwasser (1928-2000), with an interior richly embellished by art works and furnishings collected by owner Carl Doumani, Quixote is a Napa Valley destination that must be experienced; in a breathtaking landscape backed by the distinctive, rugged outcropping of the Stags Leap palisades.

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