Today I took a boat on my own to Isola del Garda to visit the Borghese villa. I absolutely wanted to visit the island and the villa and it was to difficult for my mum to walk around there. Upon approaching the island by speed boat, it’s hard not to be completely captivated by the grand neo-gothic-Venetian villa that stands proudly over the luscious greenery of the island.
Believe me when I say that photo’s of the villa paint a beautiful picture, but they simply don’t do it justice. I was warmly welcomed by Alberta Cavazza. One of the owners of the Cavazza family. The family consists of 3 sisters and 4 brothers, who have opened the island since 2001 to guided tours and events, with the aim of sharing their unique heritage, still unknown to many. Thanks to those visits and events, it is possible for them to carry out important restoration works on the property and make improvements to the centuries-old park. These visits keep a lot of the family heritage alive and they were smartly invented by Cavazza, a group of millennials, who have taken an active and entrepreneurial interest in preserving their families legacy.
The history of the island dates back to 878, when Charlemagne, king of Italy and Bavaria, donated the island to the monks of San Zeno of Verona. Sometime in the 13th century, St. Francis of Assisi founded the first retreat, using the natural grotto’s on the island and that spot became the island of the monks. In 1437, two churches were constructed on the island and for 100 of years, Isola del Garda existed as a sanctuary for the study of theology and philosophy. In the late 1700, under a Napoleonic proclamation, the monastry was abandoned and the island deserted, except for pirates and criminals. A few years later, the government conceded it to the Conter familia of Salo, who then sold it to the Benedetto family of Portese in 1803. Changing hands several more times, the island has been in the current ownership of the Borghese-Cavazza family since 1870.
Alberta thrilled me with her humble way to share childhood memories from the island and the palace. Her stories about her grandparents and ancestors on the island during wars and occupations brought history to life in a way you seldom experience. She told us about her family’s daily life on the island; bringing the children to school by boat every morning and the extremely hard work to restore the palace and the garden. The biggest work goes on during winter months when the island is closed for the public. The villa and gardens are beautiful. Part of the horticultural layout reminded me of an English cottage garden, which we later found out was indeed the case as the mother of the Cavazza family is indeed English. As we toured the garden we were then guided to the villa and were shown around a couple of rooms inside the house. What you must remember is that the family still live in the Villa and some rooms remain private.
After the tour we were shown to a beautiful balcony area which was laid out with tables which provided fresh olives, local made cheese, crusty bread with olive oil and balsamic. This was accompanied by soft drinks, water and a lovely rose wine which is produced by the family if you wished to indulge in an alcoholic beverage. After about 25 minutes the tour concluded with a walk around the lower lake garden and then back to the jetty to catch our return speedboat. The tour in my humble opinion was quite magical and I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Borghese Cavazza family for sharing their beautiful island and I would definitely return again to this jewel on Lake Garda. This was a wonderful way to spend a laid-back afternoon on the lake. For the few hours we were there, we were able to escape the chaos that is Lake Garda in the summer and instead step into a tranquil paradise. Of course, I bought the book ‘The enchanted island’, written by Contessa Alberta and the perfume made of a combination of flowers and citrus sets that grow on the island. That way, I’ll never forget the breathtaking view over the lake from the palace.
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