16 December 2017
Levico Spa Park
With its thirteen hectares of parkland and around 570 majestic trees, Levico Spa Park is the most important historic park in the province of Trento. Its history dates back to the end of the 19th century and is closely linked to the establishment of Lévico Terme as a spa town of European standing.
The project drawn up by the German landscape gardener Georg Ziehl (1873 - 1953) transformed an area of countryside where a large hotel was sited, together with its accompanying treatment centres, into an extensive parkland site enhanced by a range of tree species; a Kurort combing spa treatments with walks, heliotherapy and relaxation.
The new park, which had an informal design, made use of tree species fashionable in 19th century parkland areas: Sequoiadendron giganteum, the giant sequoia from California; Magnolia sempervirens, the large white-flowered magnolia; Fagus sylvatica ‘purpurea',, the monumental red beech that still dominates the area around the entrance to the main avenue; cedars and other conifers, including examples of the rare Picea orientalis, the Caucasian spruce, Abies cephalonica and the North American Pinus sabiniana.
Inside the park, the elegant liberty-style Villa Paradiso was constructed, initially as the gardener's house. It is now used as the administrative and management headquarters for the firm managing both the park and the spa.
The park recently underwent major improvement work, and in addition to the large monumental trees, fortunately not subjected to the pollarding pruning system, it is home to hundreds of newly planted bush species, grouped together in themed areas: viburnum, Cornus, Hydrangeae, Spriaea, roses and peonies.
Spring sees the flowering of around 50,000 different kinds of bulbs: Galanthus, Leucojum, Muscari, Narcissus, Fritillaria and different varieties of tulips. The grassy areas also provide a habitat for numerous herbaceous flowering species.
The park is managed without the use of chemical substances, while Villa Paradiso now also offers an exhibition on the park and spa tourism.
In spring the park is the setting for the “Ortinparco” event, a festival focusing on plants and vegetable and flower gardens.
The project drawn up by the German landscape gardener Georg Ziehl (1873 - 1953) transformed an area of countryside where a large hotel was sited, together with its accompanying treatment centres, into an extensive parkland site enhanced by a range of tree species; a Kurort combing spa treatments with walks, heliotherapy and relaxation.
The new park, which had an informal design, made use of tree species fashionable in 19th century parkland areas: Sequoiadendron giganteum, the giant sequoia from California; Magnolia sempervirens, the large white-flowered magnolia; Fagus sylvatica ‘purpurea',, the monumental red beech that still dominates the area around the entrance to the main avenue; cedars and other conifers, including examples of the rare Picea orientalis, the Caucasian spruce, Abies cephalonica and the North American Pinus sabiniana.
Inside the park, the elegant liberty-style Villa Paradiso was constructed, initially as the gardener's house. It is now used as the administrative and management headquarters for the firm managing both the park and the spa.
The park recently underwent major improvement work, and in addition to the large monumental trees, fortunately not subjected to the pollarding pruning system, it is home to hundreds of newly planted bush species, grouped together in themed areas: viburnum, Cornus, Hydrangeae, Spriaea, roses and peonies.
Spring sees the flowering of around 50,000 different kinds of bulbs: Galanthus, Leucojum, Muscari, Narcissus, Fritillaria and different varieties of tulips. The grassy areas also provide a habitat for numerous herbaceous flowering species.
The park is managed without the use of chemical substances, while Villa Paradiso now also offers an exhibition on the park and spa tourism.
In spring the park is the setting for the “Ortinparco” event, a festival focusing on plants and vegetable and flower gardens.
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The smell of pine needles, spruce and the smell of a Christmas tree - those to me, are the scents of the holidays.- Blake Lively - |
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