This post is also available in: Italiano (Italian)

Villa Episcopo stands on Piazza Episcopo, in Poggiardo, in the province of Lecce.
Once annexed to Palazzo Episcopo, a two-storey building dating back to the mid-1700s, it was bequeathed to the local Municipality by its last owner, Fedele Episcopo; as per the latter’s will, his wife would be allowed to continue living there.

Built in the XIX century, the garden of the villa features the typical layout of that time, with hedges, flower beds and geometric shapes, while boasting a perfect balance between size, positioning of the flower decorations and the choice of the plant species.
It is crisscrossed by paths and contains several Mediterranean plants, small caves and a tennis court.

In 1887, Cosimo De Giorgi, an Italian scientist (1842 – 1922), described the garden as: “…truly a place of delight. […] The flora from different regions of Italy is represented right here, and the beautiful specimens enrich the flower beds and grow in the warm orangery, extremely elegant outside, while comfortable, spacious and well sheltered from winter frost inside. Camellias, azaleas, gardenias, rhododendrons grow in the open area under the shade of pines, while the araucarias, cedars, thujas and oranges unfold their evergreen and fragrant foliage next to the eucalyptus and the plants that climb upon elegant kiosks of different and evocative shapes”.

This post is also available in: Italiano (Italian)