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On a steep rocky slope, overlooking the sea, there’s Pallanca Exotic Garden, a spectacular place created by Giacomo Pallanca, a pupil and later an assistant of acclaimed botanist Ludwig Winter.
At the beginning of the last century, Giacomo Pallanca began his work – to be later continued by his son Bartolomeo – cultivating and selling exotic and succulent plants with a true passion. His business, born as a Horticultural Floral Plant nursey before the Second World War, was mainly dedicated to ornamental plants and flowers. After the conflict, everything was reorganized and Bartolomeo, this time, dedicated himself to the reorganization of the company and the cultivation of Cactaceous varieties.

Following the family tradition, the Pallancas have also contributed to the creation of the most famous botanical gardens in Europe. This exotic garden was opened to the public in 1989, becoming one of the most interesting places on the “Riviera dei Fiori” and part of the Museums and Sites of Cultural, Environmental and Landscape Interest of Italy.

THE PROJECT

The microclimate and the geographical position, with the typical “striped” arrangement the Ligurian landscape, has welcomed plants from all five continents: we can find specimens from Australia, the Americas, from Asia and Africa.
In the areas open to the public, visitors can enjoy eye-catching views overlooking the sea.
The 2.5-acre park offers at least three thousand varieties and about thirty thousand specimens of cactaceous and succulent plants, vertically arranged on terraces enclosed within artistically built dry stone walls.

EXOTIC AND SUCCULENT SPECIES

The 100 years old exotic garden features some 3.200 species of succulent plants with 30 specimens arranged according to their country of origin. There are specimens of 20 ft high Neobuxbaumia polylopha, over 300 years old Copiapoas and some Carnegia gigantea, the typical cactus seen in many cowboy movies.

This post is also available in: Italiano (Italian)