Sigurtà Garden Park. In August, we visited the Park with Count Sigurtà, who guided us through the park’s iconic sites, recounting its history and the family’s passion. From Carlo Sigurtà’s dream to the famous Polirinto, to the lily ponds and tulips, the park is today a masterpiece of nature and beauty. The video features the interview and the most evocative images.

The Sigurtà Family’s ‘creed’

On a rock in the park it is worth reporting the family’s creed, an incentive for anyone who reads it

Youth is not a period of life, it is a state of mind consisting of a certain form of will, a disposition of the imagination, an emotional strength;

in the prevalence of boldness over timidity, of the thirst for adventure over the love of comfort.

One does not grow old simply by having lived a certain number of years, but only when one abandons one’s ideal.

If the years leave their mark on the body, the renunciation of enthusiasm leaves them on the soul.

Being young means preserving at sixty or seventy the love of the marvelous, the wonder of dazzling things and luminous thoughts, the intrepid challenge hurled at events, the insatiable childish desire for all that is new, the sense of the pleasant and joyful side of existence.

You will remain young as long as your heart can receive the messages of beauty, boldness, courage, greatness, and strength that come to you from the earth, from a man, or from the infinite.

When every fiber of your heart is broken and the snows of pessimism and the ice of cynicism have accumulated upon it, only then will you grow old, and may God have mercy on your soul.

The dazzling history of Sigurtà Garden Park

In 1859, during the battles of Solferino and San Martino, Emperors Franz Joseph I of Austria and, later, Napoleon III of France, arrived in the park. Napoleon III occupied the Villa on June 25th and remained there until July 7th, paying 45 francs for each day of residence, the same amount as Franz Joseph had paid, 20 florins for the night of June 23rd to 24th.

From private park to public park

From a private park, in 1978 it became public and accessible only by car. In 2000, the possibility of visiting on foot was introduced, a major development because ensuring the park is safe for visitors, as well as beautiful year-round, is a highly complex undertaking that requires constant attention and care for the park and all those who visit it.

Today the park is managed by Count Sigurtà with his family and a highly trained team that manages not only visitors but also the events that are often organized within it.

Roberta heads the Press Office

We owe Roberta, head of the Public Relations office and, indeed, of the organization and management of events, the exquisite hospitality and the understanding of the complexities of park management.

Love for tulips

Over the years, the count has developed a love for tulips, which has allowed the park to create incomparable spring blooms framed by magnificent perspectives, and the owner has a remarkable ability to arrange flowerbeds. For this reason, we asked him to dedicate a flowerbed to us, which you can find below and which you can also download and print to reproduce in your own gardens.

So many things to see

The park offers many unforgettable views: the Hermitage, the Castelletto, and the Votive Grotto – silent and poetic places you can appreciate in the video – and the lakes of water lilies, lotus flowers, and turtles.

The tour will take at least a couple of hours unless you get lost in the Polirinto – from which you can always be rescued – or have lunch at one of the small cafés dotted around the park while gazing into infinity.

There are small woods leading to the deer and the animal farm, a popular spot for children. There are so many animals in the park, so dogs, often left unattended, are not allowed because they could scare the creatures that inhabit the park.

Medicinal plants and the Bee Hotels

One of the Count’s in-depth studies focused on medicinal plants and bees, and today there is a space, the Scaligero Amphitheatre, dedicated to these plants with Bee Hotels, monitored by an apiculture team who will study the evolution of these ‘beehouses’ with the Count.

But perhaps what we most want to tell you about are the many places where you just want to stop and listen to the silence. Despite the many visitors and so much to see, the place is so majestic that you feel alone and in touch with the infinite.

Especially in the large lawns flanked by the hornbeam avenue next to the Pindemonte Forest, sitting on a stone bench and simply gazing around allows you to gather your thoughts, but also to think about nothing. The beauty of what you see is enough.

At Sigurtà Garden Park, the dog cemetery

There’s also a place dedicated to the final resting place of the owners’ dogs. You might think it’s a sad place, but that mirror of water nestled between the trees, which still allow light to shine through, creates a magnificent effect and is filled with peace. Here too, sitting on a stone bench, you feel serene. You get the feeling that the animals are there, keeping watch not just through their statues: it’s a poetic place.

The Polyrynth (the maze)

To tell you about the Polirinto in Sigurtà Park, we need to address a point. Mazes can be distinguished between those with a single path, where you basically can’t get lost, and those with multiple paths where you MUST get lost. In English, they are distinguished by their names: Labirynth is the first and Maze is the second. In Italian, however, a single name is used.

The count, since his is a maze, decided to coin the term Polirinto.

The Polirinto is already a special place. It’s difficult to navigate because it’s so large; if you decide you can get lost, you’ll end up on bridges and lanterns that will tell you where you are—but not how to get out.

Ettore Selli

A great Italian expert on labyrinths and a designer himself – you can read about him and his book Labirinti Italiani by clicking on the link – he wrote for us on Sigurtà:

The Sigurtà Garden Park’s labyrinth is a masterpiece of Italian and international excellence. Finely crafted and equipped with technological innovations, it is cutting-edge despite its meticulous attention to detail and respect for tradition.

The layout is regular and compact, paying homage to both the formalism of Italian gardens and the famous English labyrinth at Hever Castle.

I personally consider the Sigurtà Garden Park’s labyrinth to be a must-see for labyrinth enthusiasts around the world, a layout that combines family history with an international vocation.

The labyrinth, in fact, bears the signature of both Giuseppe Sìgurtà and Adrian Fisher, the greatest labyrinth designer of all time, a pioneer of maze design and the father of many inventions, some of which can be visited right here in the splendid Valeggio sul Mincio park, including raised walkways, moving hedges, water gates, and the underground fossil museum.

These spectacular innovations, which will be unveiled in the years to come, make the park a destination worth visiting again and again to enjoy a labyrinth that amazes every time as if it were the first.

The Count, in fact, intends to develop the route by including walls of water that break up as you pass through and underground passages that emerge elsewhere…but we won’t reveal too much today. We’ll keep you posted on any news!

A flowerbed from the Sigurtà Garden Park

As promised, here’s a gift for all those who, like us, love gardens, plants, and tulips. Count Sigurtà, a great tulip expert, has kindly added suitable varieties to the flowerbeds designed by Mondo del Giardino. We’ve created these flowerbeds that you can replicate in your own garden. We’ve designed one bed to be placed in front of a hedge or along the perimeter of the garden, and one to be placed in the center so it can be seen from all sides. What’s the difference? In the first case, the larger plants are in the back, while in the second, they’re in the center.

A park worth visiting

It’s no surprise that Sigurtà Park is the most visited in Italy, attracting more than 200,000 visitors a year. It has won numerous awards, including “Italy’s Most Beautiful Park 2013” and “Europe’s Second Most Beautiful Park 2015,” the “World Tulip Award 2019,” “World’s Best Attraction 2020,” and the “World Tulip Innovation Award 2024.”

We thank Count Sigurtà, Roberta, and all the staff for their helpfulness and kindness.

Now, let’s get to work! Our wonderful new outdoor space is about to be born!

GOOD WORK, and…if you have any questions, please email us at info@mondodelgiardino.com

Image sources: For the tulip photos, thanks to Gardenia.net, Fluwel, florianabulbose.com, and tupilworld.com