One unknown but must-see garden is Giardino di Ninfa.

Ninfa was a medieval town which for 600 years was a rich and important link between Naples and Rome with over 150 houses, a castle, shops, watermills and workshops occupied by 1200 people. But in 1382 it was attacked and sacked and never recovered. The buildings crumbled and nature replaced the inhabitants. However from these ruins has been made the most extraordinary 20 acre garden, filled with wonderful plants including 500 different type of rose.

For over 600 years the town was owned by the Caetani family, who were given it by Pope Boniface in 1297 and throughout the 19th and 20th century they planted a garden amongst the ghosts and ruins of the medieval town. In 1935 Roffredo Caetani inherited Ninfa and with his American wife Margueritte developed the garden further and in 1977 it was opened to the public for the first time.

Today Ninfa is run by a foundation devoted to the ecological harmony of the place as much as maintaining the conventional beauty of this very unconventional and unique garden. Knowing this story, who could not long to see it? La Mortella is an exceptional example of a modern garden in Italy with a twist. The garden was built by the composer William Walton and his wife on the island of Ischia near the Bay of Naples. It was designed in 1965 and has an enormous variety of plants from all different parts of the world.

The twist is that throughout the different seasons of the year chamber orchestras will be playing in different parts of the gardens.