Pallanca Exotic Garden

The Pallanca Exotic Garden

The Pallanca Exotic Garden is one of the wonders of Bordighera and definitely one of the attractions to see in the City of Palms: it is a rich botanical garden of cacti and succulents.

For this particular type of plant it is without doubt the most important botanical garden in Italy and one of the top five in Europe.

The history of the garden

The history of this botanical garden has followed the fortunes of the Pallanca family since the end of the 19th century.

It all began in 1861, when Giacomo Pallanca gave up growing olives at Airole, in the Roya valley, to join the work of the famous landscape architect Ludwig Winter.

Working alongside the German botanist, Giacomo was able to watch the creation of wonderful parks in Liguria and on the nearby Côte d’Azur.

Above all, the extraordinary Hanbury Gardens in Ventimiglia.

In 1910 Giacomo’s son, Bartolomeo, founded the “Stabilimento orticolo floreale Bartolomeo Pallanca”, a nursery specialising in cacti and succulents.

Alongside the business, Bartolomeo devoted himself to collecting the rarest species and specimens, acclimatising them in the mild cove of Montenero in Bordighera.

In 1989 the Pallanca family decided to expand, organise and lay out the garden so that it could open to the public.

Visiting the garden

Today the Pallanca Exotic Garden is an extraordinary collection of cacti and succulents, a true open-air museum.

On a remarkable property of more than 10,000 square metres, high above the sea and constantly bathed in sunshine, more than 3,200 varieties and more than 30,000 specimens of wonderful plants are gathered.

This huge botanical heritage, divided into themed areas and regions of origin, together with the extraordinary views and the care with which the plants are displayed, creates a truly enchanting setting, unique of its kind.

Among the terraces above the sea you can also visit the greenhouses where new specimens are grown.

Here you can choose and buy the most fascinating and rarest succulents, which you will certainly not find in ordinary garden centres.

When to visit the Pallanca Exotic Garden

The Pallanca Exotic Garden can be visited on almost every day of the year and, in fact, there is no better time than any other.

Indeed, nature lovers are advised to visit several times a year to admire the many wonderful blooms of the different species.

To make your visit truly perfect, in winter it is best to plan it for the morning, to enjoy the sunshine rising in the east.

In summer, on the other hand, it is best to visit the garden early in the morning or in the afternoon before sunset, to avoid the hottest hours.

How to get there

The exact address of the garden is: via Madonna della Ruota, 1 Bordighera IM

Coming from the centre of Bordighera, the Pallanca Exotic Garden is after the Grand Hotel del Mare.

Once through the Punta Migliarese tunnel, you cannot miss the entrance on the left.

Parking in the area is very easy.

Next to the garden there is a handy bus stop on the Sanremo–Ventimiglia line

Opening hours and prices

Open from Tuesday to Sunday, 9:15 am to 12:30 pm and 2:30 pm to 7:00 pm.

Closed on Mondays.

Annual closure from 5 November to 5 December.

Visit time

1 hour minimum

Prices

Full admission: €8.

Junior (ages 8–14): €4.

Affiliated groups (minimum 10 people): €7.

There are no guided tours at the Pallanca Exotic Garden, but at the entrance you are given a detailed explanatory guide and every area is numbered.

Conclusion

Now that you have reached the end of this guide to the Pallanca Exotic Garden, you know exactly what to expect from this wonderful monument to nature.

To every traveller who chooses Bordighera I recommend a visit to the Pallanca Exotic Garden, to admire these spectacular plants that can rarely be seen all together, to enjoy breathtaking views and to take beautiful photos.