4-8 April 2018
Day 1. meet at Nice airport and drive with Minivan to Menton where we will sleep for the next 3 nights at Hotel Prince de Galles
Menton
Day 2. We will visit the exotic garden at Val Rameh and then the beautiful Serre de La Madone, the French Garden of Lawrence Johnston of Hidcote.
Val Rameh
Serre de la Madone
Day 3. Today we will move over the border to Ventimiglia where we will visit the gorgeous riviera garden of Villa Boccanegra, now owned by Ursula Piacenza, who will happily show and talk us around the garden. In the afternoon we will visit the botanic garden at Villa Hanbury, in Ventimiglia, too.
Villa Boccanegra
Villa Hanbury and Apricale
Day 4. We will visit Le Clos du Peyronnet and then move our way East exploring the cragtop villages of Dolce Acqua and Apricale two beautiful medieval hamlets in Italy and the surprising exotic garden of Pallanca in Bordighera. We will continue past Sanremo and down to Alassio where we will spend the night at Hotel Ligure
Le Clos Du Peyronnet
Pallanca Exotic Garden
Day 5. In the morning we will visit Giardino Villa La Pergola, a wonderful English garden restored by Paolo Pejrone, have lunch at the seaside and then drive back to Nice for your late flight back. Excellent direct flights from Ryanair.
Villa La Pergola
This is the backbone of the trip, but there will be landscape and seaside stops, lovely restaurants, some churches.
Cost for the 5 days: 1100 euro inclusive of 2 dinners and all picnic lunches.