Heller Gardens

A short, well signposted fifteen minute uphill walk from the rear of the Grand Hotel will bring you to one of the gems of Lake Garda. The Botanical Garden, which spreads over 10,000 m2 of hillside, is the home to over 2000 species of plants from different continents and climatic zones. Interspersed amongst all the trees and shrubs are some quirky sculptures and statues that denote this is no ordinary garden.

Its original creator was Arturo Hruska, a dental surgeon and much travelled naturalist, who between 1910 and 1971 transformed a sadly neglected vineyard into a plant lover’s paradise. Several small, artificial lakes were built: fed by spring water and linked by meandering rivulets they are now home to a mixture of koi carp and trout. 

Towards the upper reaches of the garden is a 10m mini-mountain made to resemble dramatic Tyrolean peaks. Today the garden reflects the vision and philosophy of André Heller, a multimedia artist who purchased the garden and its villa in the late 1980s, with the stated aim of building a centre of ecological consciousness.

There is a pleasant open air café towards the highest point of the garden which is a nice place to stop for a drink and admire the gardens below.