The historic park of Villa Erba offers a charming walk among tall trees, collections of flowering shrubs and colourful beds.

The path winds along the shores of Lake Como, providing a splendid panorama which has enchanted writers and poets throughout history.

The fin-de-siècle ambience of the villa, a favourite retreat of Luchino Visconti, the elegant décor and enormous garden tended by expert gardeners are now open to all lovers of beauty in both art and nature.

The visitor can admire the exotic plants, the beauty and style of the flower borders, the elegance of the architecture, the historic villa and the beautiful glass-house, an architectural masterpiece by Mario Bellini, which serves as a venue for special events and international conferences.

THE BOTANIC WALK

1 CAMELLIA – The genus Camellia – originally from China and Japan – is made up of numerous species many of which are hybrids. This shrub can reach considerable dimensions if grown in the ground as opposed to in pots. An acid ground lover, the camellia is an ideal ornamental plant because of the abundance of its flowers, the wide range of colours and the variety of species which include spring flowering varieties (C. Japonica) as well as autumn flowering plants (C. Sasanqua, C. Vernalis). The tea plant (C. Sinensis) with its delicate white flowers, is also a member of the camellia family.

2 CARPINUS BETULUS L. – Widespread in mainland Italy, the common hornbeam – together with oak – once made up the vast forests which covered the plains of the Po. The species is much used in forestry and has also become popular once again as an ornamental tree. It is used in landscaping for its hardiness, adaptability and the wide variety of different species.

3 BAMBOO – At the beginning of the walk, we come across a typical thicket of bamboo. Bamboo is a semi–woody plant from Asia of which there are many varieties, and which is now widespread the world over. It is used as an ornamental plant, especially in moist soils.

4 TILIA EUROPEA – Only rarely is the common lime found in the wild although it may be found at higher altitudes in association with holly, oak and beech, whereas in the lowlands it forms mixed woodland with alder, sycamore and ash. It is frequently used however as an ornamental tree in parks and gardens because of the beauty of its foliage, the elegance of its form and the intense perfume of its blossom.

5 CEDRUS DEODARA – IC. Deodara or the Himalayan cedar was introduced into Europe around 1820. It is an extremely decorative fast–growing conifer. It adapts to a wide variety of positions but flourishes in slightly acid soils and requires a temperate, preferably damp climate.

6 AZALEA JAPONICA – Azaleas are plants with a shrubby or bushy habit native to Japan and are members of the genus Rhododendron. They are grown as ornamental plants and require acid soil. These plants belong to the species Azalea japonica and are limited to a range of white shades. The plant is typical of the historic gardens of the Lombardy lakes, famed for their striking displays of azaleas in spring.

7 MAGNOLIA GRANDIFLORA – This species originates in the southern states of North America and was introduced into Europe by the French botanist P. Magnol about three hundred years ago. It is immediately recognisable thanks to its large shiny deep green leaves and its showy perfumed white flowers. Botanists believe magnolias to be the most ancient angiosperms and fossils have been found dating back to five million years ago.

8 CHAMAECYPARIS LAWSONIANA – Native to the Pacific coast of the United States, this tree is planted for its great ornamental value and the variety of habit and form among its many varieties. It thrives on deep, moist, well–drained soils and dislikes windy positions by the sea and sharp frosts.

9 LAURUS NOBILIS – Sweet bay is a hardy native of the Mediterranean much used in landscaping for its ornamental qualities. It can reach 15 to 20 metres in height but is generally cultivated as a small tree or shrub and used for hedges or striking isolated shrubs. All parts of the plant contain essential oils, the leaves have digestive and aromatic properties, the berries are used in perfumery and for the preparation of ointments and balms.

10 PRUNUS LAUROCERASUS – the cherry laurel, native of Asia Minor and south–east Europe, is used for ornamental evergreen boundary hedges, which are both very decorative and also functional. This is an extremely vigorous, fast growing species and its leathery leaves are tolerant of various kinds of air pollution, making it an ideal plant for the city.

11 PLATANUS ORIENTALIS L. – Villa Erba boasts some marvellous old plane trees, with their typical blotchy yellow and grey bark caused by autumn peeling. This ornamental tree is planted in parks, large gardens and along city streets because of its resistance to pollution, although at the moment a serious fungal disease poses a threat to the entire population. It thrives on heavy clay soils and loves a sunny position but dislikes drought and prolonged cold spells.

12 GINKGO BILOBA – A native of China, the maidenhair tree has unusual two—lobed fan–shaped leaves of a bright green, which turn a beautiful yellow in autumn before they fall. It is considered a “living fossil” because of its antiquity (dating from the Jurassic era, 150–190 million years ago). Its reproduction system is complex as the unpleasant smelling fruit of the female tree is only pollinated by the male when it has fallen on the ground. These plants are tolerant of air pollution and therefore ideal for city centres and roadside planting along.

13 CERCIS SILIQUASTRUM – This small tree, commonly known as the Judas tree, which here leans over the lake, is native to the Mediterranean region and western Asia. It is widely used as an ornamental tree, having a striking reddish trunk which forms irregular contorted shapes as well as beautiful spring blossom, with the flowers appearing from the trunk itself before the opening of its heart–shaped leaves.

14 ACER PALMATUM DISSECTUM – Japanese maples, native to Chine, Japan and Korea, are widely used in our gardens for ornamental purposes because of the effects that can be created thanks to the wide chromatic range of their foliage. This variety “Dissectum” has greenish leaves with many very narrow deeply indented lobes. Equally decorative is the red–leaved variety "Atropurpureum". These are not very hardy plants, favouring a shady position, and disliking exposed or windy positions and late frosts.

15 LIGUSTRUM LUCIDUM AIT – Native to eastern Asia, privet is widely used as an ornamental shrub in Italy and Europe. It is also cultivated as a standard and is used along city streets because of its tolerance of air pollution. It is thrives in hot or temperate climates as it dislikes frost and severe cold.

16 CELTIS OCCIDENTALIS – The hackberry originated in north–eastern America. Like Celtis australis (from which it is distinguished because of its fissured trunk and the shape of the leaves) it is a hardy and undemanding tree, widely used in city parks and to line streets because it is both long–lived and resistant to pollution. It loves a bright position, mild climates and can withstand drought conditions.

17 TAXUS BACCATA L. – Native to Europe, western Asia and northern Africa, the yew is a slow–growing but extremely long–lived species. It is widely used as an ornamental plant, both free–standing and skilfully clipped as a hedge. All parts of the yew, including leaves, seeds, wood and bark and excluding only the fleshy part of the fruit (aril) are extremely toxic, and this is why it is often known as the “tree of death”.

18 BUXUS SEMPERVIRENS L. – A native of Europe, western Asia and northern Africa, box grows wild in many woods of central and northern Italy. It is cultivated and used as an ornamental plant for landscaping because (like privet) it is suitable for a number of landscaping techniques, such as topiary, a typical feature of gardens of the renaissance period. Its wood is also much appreciated by craftsmen and sculptors.

19 PICEA EXCELSA L. – This tree, a native of the mountainous regions of Scandinavia and Russia, is known as the red spruce because of the colour of its bark and cones. It is widely used in Europe for forestation as well as ornamental purposes (it is the most common kind of Christmas tree) as well as for its wood and resin. It thrives in mountainous and hill regions and is extremely tolerant of the cold.

20 CUPRESSUS SEMPERVIRENS L. – The cypress is a hardy tree which grows in most conditions although it dislikes severe winter temperatures. Native to the eastern Mediterranean it has long been used here as an ornamental tree and as a windbreak. Two varieties can be found, C. Pyramidalis (the “tall pointed” tree, about which Carducci wrote) and C. Horizontalis with its broader more irregular crown.

21 TILIA CORDATA – The small–leaved lime, native to Europe and the Caucasus, is a tall tree which can even reach a height of over 25 metres. It is deciduous and its perfumed yellow–white flowers are valued by bee–keepers for the quality of the honey produced. The name comes from the Greek word 'ptilon' or wing, referring to the flat elongated bracts which allow the seeds to be carried away on the wind.

22 TRACHYCARPUS FORTUNEI – Also known as Chamaerops excelsa, this palm is native to China. Long cultivated in Europe as an ornamental plant, it is also used in the gardens of Lombardy because it is so hardy. It bears clusters of bright yellow flowers and the pea–sized fruits are a greyish blue colour.

23 LAGERSTROEMIA INDICA L. – A native of China, Japan and Australia, it was introduced into Europe in the middle of the eighteenth century. It thrives in open sunny positions and its lovely summer blossom makes it a useful ornamental plant cultivated as a small tree or shrub.

24 FAGUS SYLVATICA – The beech is native to a wide area of Europe and both crown and trunk can reach considerable dimensions. Despite the fact that it is not very hardy and does not tolerate a wide range of conditions, beech is widely planted in forestry both for its wood and its ornamental value, especially certain varieties which are valued for the colour of the foliage or bark. The fruits (beech nuts) were once used as a coffee substitute and for their oil content.

25 ACER NEGUNDO L. – This native of North America was introduced into Europe in the early eighteenth century. It is a very fast growing tree and extremely vigorous, for which reason it is often used in parks and public places. There are ornamental varieties with unusual colouring which are cultivated as small trees or shrubs.

26 TAXODIUM DISTICUM – Here we have a lovely group of bald or swamp cypress, a deciduous conifer with a beautiful brownish red bark, native to the southern United States. It thrives near stagnant water thanks to its breathing roots (pneumatophores) which protrude from the water like “knees” and allow it to survive in flooded or waterlogged areas. A fast growing tree, it can reach up to 30 metres in height and its bright green leaves change to a reddish colour in the autumn.

27 HYDRANGEA – Collection – Hydrangeas are native to China and Japan and are widespread ornamental plants in Italy. They are bushy shrubs which thrive in a bright but shady position with no direct sunlight. The long–lasting flower heads appear in summer and often last until late autumn. There are many different varieties of hydrangea: the most common are the 'mop–heads' with their large round blooms but there are smaller flowering varieties too. There are also climbers (H. Petiolaris) and shrubs (H. Sargentiana. H. Villosa) as well as hydrangeas with flowers in panicles (H. Paniculata, H. Quercifolia).