This activity enables you to follow two itineraries illustrating both the artistic and botanical heritage of Villa Carlotta. An expert botanist will reveal some interesting facts regarding the hundreds of plant species growing in the gardens, while an art historian will introduce you to the secrets behind numerous artworks kept in the museum. The aim is to give you an overall view of all the interesting things this extraordinary place can offer visitors.

An expert botanist will accompany you along a step by step itinerary inside the extensive gardens of Villa Carlotta, encouraging you to reflect on the characteristics of its protagonists, that is to say, the trees, bushes and plants of all forms and colours, and on the important relationship between man and nature. You will see how the expert intervention of skilled gardeners and landscape designers has artfully combined the requirements of plants coming from the most diversified areas of the world with the features of the garden, to give shape to an authentic open-air museum.

One dwelling and three owners. A private home which, in the course of two centuries, has been turned into a veritable museum. Strategy, advertising and acumen: these are the elements which have made Villa Carlotta one of the most sought-after tourist spots ever since the 1800s. With an expert art historian, you will get the chance to learn the history of its owners, while observing the physical signs of their presence: the richly adorned rooms, the precious artworks, the lavish 19th century furniture, the Venetian terrazzo floors... who commissioned them? And why? An experience that takes you through the collections of the Villa to discover the secrets and interesting facts behind them.

Come to discover the magnificient and silent presences that delight the walk of visitors with their silhouettes, different tone of green leaves (and not only green!), foliages with assorted forms, branches’ bearing and barks of incredible textures and colours. This journey in the botanical garden will allow us to discover secrets and curiosity.

An itinerary to discover the counteless applications of plants. During a workshop of herbal medicine, it will be possible to create simple preparations (toothpaste or body cream) that highlight the deep relationship between humans and plant kingdom.

How to design a garden? Through the survey of the architectural values and the most significant botanical elements at Villa Carlotta, we will collect clues for understanding how to design a garden on a building. During the workshop, different knowledge will be connected: natural philosophy, art history, physics, architecture, geography and biology.

Countless colours of flowers, different shades of green and garish berries: what is the meaning of colours in vegetable kingdom? After the visit of the garden, we will explore the numerous tones of colours by pigment extraction from plants for creating delicate watercolours.

What is the relationship between Arctium lappa grass and Velcro? What is the connection between a lime tree fruit and a helicopter? Throughout history, man has sharpened his wits to find solutions to problems by drawing inspiration from nature. This workshop will be an opportunity to develop an ability for critical thinking and to stimulate problem-solving skills.

Stucco decorations, plaster casts, mosaics and Venetian terrazzo, marble statues, oil paintings, frescoes, marquetry tables and tapestries. For centuries, Villa Carlotta has safeguarded all sorts of artefacts. But how is a tapestry actually made? And what about a piece of marquetry? This experience will help us to learn and familiarize with the techniques used by artists to create the masterpieces we can see all around us. The visit will be followed by a workshop during which we shall get to prepare tempera colours using natural pigments and fixatives, just as the great masters used to do before the advent of industrial paints.

How is a work of art created? We shall find out, armed with pencil and paper, by observing the compositional elements and studying the colours of the artworks on display in Villa Carlotta.

A successful painting is the sum of numerous elements we often take for granted: light and shade, colour combinations, proportions, highlights and symmetry. This activity sets out to explore what lies beneath the surface of the canvas, because what we see is not only fruit of creative genius but also of a precise set of compositional rules.