Parco zoologico di Villa Pallavicino
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Italiano (Italian)
The Park of Villa Pallavicino in Stresa, is one of the most popular tourist attractions of Lake Maggiore. The appears as the ideal ancient residence on Lake Maggiore, very popular amongst the nobles in the mid-XIX century; it is set in a large park and it overlooks a splendid panorama. It was built in the mid-XIX century by the Neapolitan statesman Ruggero Bonghi, a friend of Alessandro Manzoni, who was fascinated by Lake Maggiore. The villa was then enlarged by its new owner, the Duke of Villombrosa, and was eventually bought by the Marquises Pallavicino in 1862. They are still the current owners and have transformed the simple residence into a splendid XIX-century villa featuring neoclassical style.
The park
Villa Pallavicino is surrounded by an English park of 50 acres, created by Ruggero Bonghi with the aim of preserving the spontaneity of the natural environment of Lake Maggiore.
It features a well-devised series of open spaces with lawns and bushes, shady avenues, squares full of flowers, and wooded areas with centuries-old trees such as chestnuts (Castanea sativa), Liriodendron tulipifera< / em> (probably among the oldest in Italy), red beech trees (Fagus sylvtica “Purpurea”), maples, larches, majestic specimens of Ginko biloba, very tall sequoias, plane trees, and magnolias.
One of the greatest attraction of the park is the grandiose Lebanon cedar (Cedrus libani) located in the natural amphitheatre in front of the villa. A large greenhouse houses exotic and ornamental plants, while the flower beds boast an explosion of roses, azaleas, rhododendrons, daffodils and magnolias.
The Pallavicinos have expanded the estate, built carriage roads and embellished the park with several statues. In 1952, Marquise Luisa collected animals from all over the world, thus creating an exceptional zoo, with over 40 species: they include white swans, very rare ducks, grey crowned cranes, fallow deers, silver pheasants, flamingos, peacocks, parrots, goat-deers, llamas, zebras, alpacas, otters and kangaroos.
Thousands of visitors enjoy this wondrous park from March to October. There is a restaurant, a bar, a souvenir shop, a playground and several picnic areas.
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Italiano (Italian)
Contatti
Via Sempione Sud, 8 - Stresa(VB)
0323 31533
direzione@parcozoopallavicino.it
http://www.parcozoopallavicino.it
Altre info
Adulti 9,00 euro; bambini (4-13) 6,00 euro; scuole 5,00 euro; gruppi di adulti 7,00 euro.
da marzo a ottobre
9.00-18.00
