Monday, May 21, 2007

Mortella Garden Ischia by William Walton's wife

A fascinating place on the island of Ischia is the Mortella Garden near Forio, which was the home of the important british composer Sir William Walton for many years. Walton was born in 1902 in Lancashire and composed many frequently played orchestra suites as well as operas - check Wikipedia for detailed information about his musical work)
in 1948 he got married to the Argentinian woman Susana Gil with whom he moved to Ischia, where his wife arranged this great botanic garden with plants from all over the world.until the death of Sir Walton on 1983 the garden was kept entirely privat. His death, a big loss for his wife almost broke her. She decided to make the garden public, to share its beauty with the visitors, in memorance of her husband. Many classical concerts are also held in the garden which provides a great surrounding for music. It is set cascaded, which new art features and plants never seen before on the way up.at the top of the garden you hav a wonderful view above the island, towards the coast of Forio. A very impressing symbol is the stone of Sir William Walton, a memorial with a beautiful and moving text on it written by his wife.




 

 

 

 
Posted by Picasa

Mortella Garden Ischia II

 

 

 

 
Posted by Picasa

Plants of Ischia

Ischia is a great adventure for all lovers of exotic plants..as the vulcanic origin of the island provides a very futile and minerally enriched ground


 

 

 

 
Posted by Picasa

Animals of Ischia

My holiday in May this year took me to Ischia, a beautiful small island in the gulf of Naples, with a rich diversity of animals.. dogs are everywhere..but do they bark italian?

 

 

 

 
Posted by Picasa

Ischia

Watch my exclusive holiday video from the Hotel Riva del Sole, Forio. Ischia. Get a glimpse of the beauty..

Tuesday, May 08, 2007

The beauty of giraffes


One of my favourite animals is the giraffe as it represents an animal with a very special attitude of grace. To see it walk along it somehow looks as if the field was a catwalk. The colours and pattern completely harmonize with nature. These pictures were taken in 2006 in the Hluhluwe Nature Resort, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa



Posted by Picasa