Parc Scherrer

On a steep slope above Lake Lugano, just outside the village of Morcote at the southern tip of the Ceresio peninsula, Parc Scherrer is a garden that reflects the dreams of a single collector. Hermann Arthur Scherrer, a textile merchant from St. Gallen, bought the property in the early 1930s and spent more than two decades shaping it, working on the park until his death in 1956. He left it to the canton of Ticino, which now runs it as a public garden, and it has retained the personal and slightly eccentric character of its creator.

Scherrer was a traveller and a lover of plants and art, and the garden combines both interests. Terraces, stairways and paths wind down the slope toward the water, passing temples, pavilions and statues from different times and civilisations. Visitors may come upon architecture inspired by Greece and Rome, buildings in the style of south and south-east Asia, copies of classical sculpture and pieces from the Middle East, arranged among the trees as if each had been placed for the pleasure of discovery. The mixture is deliberately eclectic: the garden was made as a personal collection rather than as an academic landscape.

The climate helps the plants. The sheltered position and the mild air of the Ticino lakes allow many subtropical species to grow outdoors, and the park holds palms, camellias, azaleas and other plants that flower from spring onward, with large trees providing shade. Water features add to the charm, and from several terraces the view opens across the lake toward the hills on the far shore. In spring, when the flowers bloom, and in autumn, when the foliage changes, the park is especially pleasing.

The terrain is steep, with many steps, so comfortable shoes are essential and the park is not easy for people with limited mobility. Allow a couple of hours for a relaxed walk, and bring water on a hot day. The garden is open for part of the year, with seasonal hours and an entrance fee, so check the current information before you plan.

Morcote itself is worth a visit. The old village has arcaded lanes and old houses beside the lake, and the church of Santa Maria del Sasso stands on the rock above it, reached by a long stairway lined with cypress trees and chapels.