"Isola Madre is the most sensual place that
I have ever seen in the world." (G. Flaubert, 1845)
This is the largest of the Borromeo Islands and it is also the
most characteristic due to its collected, tranquil, and enchanted atmosphere.
Its gardens, where all manner of peacocks, parrots and pheasants roam freely,
are full of rare plants and exotic flowers, helping to create the charm of a
tropical land.
Isola Madre is particularly famous for its azalea,
rhododendron, and camellia blossoms but also for the pergolas of ancient
wisteria, for the Cashmere Cyprus, which is more than two hundred years old and
is the largest example in Europe, and for the espaliers of citrons and lemons,
for the collection of hibiscus and the Ginkgo biloba.
In 1978, the sixteenth century palace was officially opened to
the public. It is particularly interesting because of the reconstruction of
period rooms, and the collection of liveries, dolls and porcelain housed there.
The exhibition of "Teatrini delle Marionette" (small puppet
theatres) dating from the seventeenth/nineteenth centuries is also truly
exceptional.
Isola Madre leaves the visitor with a feeling of extreme
elegance, thanks to the care and attention paid to the gardens and to the
interiors offering a certain quality that sets out to please even the most
demanding tourist.
The Palace
The palace rooms, which were furnished from 1978 onwards with pieces taken
from various other historical family homes, contain numerous works of art
such as tapestries, furniture and paintings. The palace rooms, which were
furnished from 1978 onwards with pieces taken from various other historical
family homes, contain numerous works of art such as tapestries, furniture
and paintings.
Amongst the most important rooms are the "Salone di
Ricevimento" (Reception Hall), which houses biblical paintings by Stefano
Danedi, known as "Il Montalto" (1618-1683), Ercole Procaccini the younger
(1596-1676) and Giovan Battista Costa (1636-1690), the "Sala delle Stagioni"
(The Seasons Room) with its large tapestry belonging to a Cardinal who was a
member of the family, and the "Sala delle Bambole" (The Doll's Room), which
contains an important collection of nineteenth century French and German
dolls. Also particularly unusual and interesting is the collection of
puppets and puppet theatres, which date from the seventeenth, eighteenth and
nineteenth centuries.
The palace is surrounded by a beautiful botanical park, which the French
writer, Flaubert described as paradise on earth. The park contained, and
still contains, many rare and exotic plant species, which originate from
every corner of the globe, and you will also find multicoloured peacocks,
parrots and pheasants roaming freely amongst them.
The Botanical Gardens
"Isola Madre is a paradise on earth. Trees with leaves
made golden by the sunlight."(G. Flaubert, 1845)
Isola Madre has belonged to the Borromeo family since 1500.
From the bare rock of the ice age, the island has undergone various
different transformations. It was initially an orchard, and subsequently an
olive grove and a citrus orchard before it finally became an English-style
botanical park at the beginning of the nineteenth century. It covers a total
area of approximately 8 hectares.
Isola Madre is renowned not only for the spectacular blossoming of azaleas
in May but also for its Botanical Gardens that house rare plant species,
which originate from all over the world.
The particularly mild climate enjoyed here has in fact, meant that a
surprising flora has found its habitat here, something that is very rarely
found in other parts. In fact, maple trees, banana trees, camellias,
eucalyptus, and palm trees happily coexist in the garden. The different
parts of the garden each have their own toponimy, which helps guests during
their visit.
The Borromeo family theater
The Puppet Theatre, once housed on Isola Bella, is displayed in the three rooms.
The end of the eighteenth century saw the development of "transforming"
puppets, the use of imaginary and grotesque animals, the use of theatrical
machines, and the staging of atmospheric events, all of which aimed to
astound and surprise the spectator. Since then, theatrical activity became
popular and achieved a great deal of success, both in private palaces and
theatres and in public ones too.
Several pieces stand out in particular from this extraordinary collection,
which is in an exemplary state of preservation. These include " The
Transforming Dwarf" out of which, thanks to a special device, small puppets
peek, the Devil with hellish monsters, the seven-headed Dragon, and also
masks from the "commedia dell'arte", such as Harlequin and Brighella.
