One of the most suggestive natural shows of the Ligurian Riviera began in Alassio. THE Gardens of Villa della Pergola they are awakening with the flowering of their famous collection of Agapanti, The most important in Europe, transforming the landscape into a real “Agapanti sea” overlooking the Mediterranean.
In this 2025, a special year dedicated to the celebrations of the 150 years of the setting of the British in Alassio, flowering assumes an even more particular meaning. It is in fact thanks to the first British owners of the late nineteenth century that these flowers, then called “Gigli del Nilo”, were introduced in the gardens. Only in 1905 did the botanical congress of the Nomenclature of Vienna gave them the name we know today: Agapanthus, from the Greek “flower of love”.
The gardens of Villa della Pergola
The gardens of Villa della Pergola host a unique collection in the world with thousands of specimens representing over 500 different varieties, all certified by the Italian fruit and vegetable growing company. The current collection was recreated by the famous landscape architect Paolo Pejrone during the restoration started in 2006, when the gardens were saved by potential building speculation.
Pejrone’s idea was as poetic as it is scenographic: recreating with the blue shades of the agapants the effect of the waves of the Ligurian sea on which the park overlooks. The result is a show that enchants thousands of visitors every summer, with brushstrokes of color ranging from the most intense blue to celestial, from deep blue to white white, to the delicate shades of lilac and purple.
The charm of these flowers has crossed the centuries by conquering world -renowned artists. Claude Monet cultivated them in his famous Garden Garden in France, while Marc Chagall wanted them absolute protagonists of his residence in Provence in order to celebrate the birthday surrounded by the luxuriant flowering of the “King of Blue Flowers” every year. Literature also paid tribute to this plant: the Greek poet George Seferis, winner of the Nobel, dedicated an entire work to him.
This year the flowering of the Agapanti takes on an even more prestigious value thanks to the recognition obtained from the gardens of Villa della Pergola as Garden partner of the Royal Horticultural Societya goal that strengthens the historical link between Alassio and British botany culture.
The blooms of hydrangeas, hibiscus, water louts and lotus flowers also contribute to enrich the summer show, together with numerous botanical rarities that make the gardens an oasis of biodiversity overlooking the sea.
Tickets for guided tours and for the masterclass can be purchased here
