Age-old parks and geometrical Italian and English gardens, mazes and greenhouses created by famous ‘green architects’ from XVIIIth and XIXth centuries - such as Xavier Kurten – embellish the whole territory of Piemonte around villas, castles and historical palaces. Some examples are the gardens of Venaria Royal Residence, Masino or Pralormo Castles in Torino area, Villa Taranto or Villa Pallavicino on Lake Maggiore shores, Burcina Park in Biella area, the park of Racconigi and Govone Castle in Cuneo area.
Magic goes on among the vineyards of Monferrato too, in the Artistic Park ‘Orme su La Court’, that houses fairy sceneries and art masterpieces, as well as in the Monterosso complex in Acqui Terme (Alessandria province), a unique example in Italy of a manor created with the collaboration of patrons, architects, painters and sculptors. Enriched with commissioned works of art, the villa is surrounded by an extraordinary formal garden designed by Pietro Porcinai.