A PERFECTLY MANICURED WALLED GARDEN IN THE ITALIANATE TRADITION

Decorative iron gates set in lofty stone walls open into our classically proportioned Italianate Garden, with its stone-flagged paths, leafy trees, lush foliage and ornamental fountains. By day the stone is warmed by the Maltese sun, while at night it cools under a canopy of stars. The Orangery and Grotto are beautifully restored, while shaded terraces beside the Palazzo are a perfect place for dining and listening to breezes that whisper in the trees.

GRANDI GIARDINI ITALIANI

We are delighted to be part of the renowned Grandi Giardini Italiani Association, which showcases the most celebrated gardens in and around Italy. This is how they described the Palazzo gardens, “an extraordinary complex of walls and gardens with the unusual trompe-l’oeil of the eighteenth-century Orangery, the fountains and enchanting plant arrangements created by Sicilian gardeners”.

THE ORANGERY AND GROTTO

Created by the Grand Master de Vilhena in 1733 and now a wonderful location for small-scale events, our Orangery was originally home to the lemon and orange trees that supplied the Palazzo with daily fruits. Today, the limestone and glass structure houses lush ferns and aromatic lilies, while the stone grotto, a folly chiselled at the same time, makes a decorative home for our garden’s grand watering system.

PLANTS OF THE PALAZZO

The scent of orange blossom, freesia, rose and bougainvillea hang in the air, while dahlias, lilies, irises and geraniums stud dark-leaved shrubs and hedgerows. Kapok trees flower in the autumn, while in winter citrus flourishes. By spring blossom is everywhere - hothouse flowers and ferns fill our Orangery and the family olive groves yield Palazzo Parisio cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil.