Villas and museums

Sumptuous buildings, surrounded by lush gardens, were built in the 1800s by English and German nobility and the upper middle class to stay in Bordighera and enjoy its mild and pleasant climate.Walking around Bordighera, one can admire the beauty of numerous stately homes of the past, now museums and public buildings. Many of these sumptuous buildings in addition to Villa Regina Margherita and Villa Etelinda,bear the signature of Charles Garnier, best known for the Paris Opéra, the Monte Carlo Casino and the Nice Observatory. The famous French architect designed in the city Villa Garnier, his private residence, Villa Etelinda, the Terrasanta Church, Villa Studio and Palazzo Garnier, now the Town Hall.In the villas and along the streets, there are many paths to get lost in peaceful, fragrant walks among the rich, lush vegetation and bright colors of the citrus trees. Here the German landscape architect Ludwig Winter designed a Palm-Garden that remains one of the richest collections still existing in Europe, but Bordighera is also home to the splendid Villa Garnier Garden and, on the slopes of the ancient volcano Monte Nero, the Pallanca Exotic Garden with the largest variety of succulents in Italy. Particularly impressive is the Béodo Trail, along the route of the ancient aqueduct canal. "Here is one of the most exciting walks in Bordighera, which every artist cannot forget, an uninterrupted succession of many nooks and crannies in which form and elegance harmonize," as French architect Charles Garnier called it