High above the village of Carona, where the hillside opens to sweeping panoramas of lake and mountain, Parco San Grato bursts into colour each spring with Ticino's richest collection of azaleas, rhododendrons, and conifers. During April and May, the park becomes a living canvas of shapes and hues -- crimson, magenta, white, and soft pink blossoms cascading along shaded pathways and sun-drenched clearings. Six thematic trails guide visitors through this botanical spectacle, while a panoramic restaurant and a children's playground make it a destination the whole family can savour.
The Visit
To make the most of your time, follow one or more of the six thematic trails, each revealing different facets of the park's beauty. The Botanic trail introduces the park's principal plant collections and their characteristics. The Relax trail and the Panoramic trail take in the gentlest, most comfortable paths, connecting viewpoints that offer magnificent vistas over the surrounding landscape. The Artistic trail leads you past sculptures scattered throughout the grounds. The Azalea legend trail enchants younger visitors with the story and folklore surrounding this beloved flower. And the Sensory path invites a slower, more mindful exploration of nature, awakening forgotten sensations through touch, scent, and sound.
Parco San Grato is open throughout the year and admission is free.
Historic note
Some sixty years ago, the land surrounding today's park belonged to Martin Winterhalter, inventor of the Riri zipper, who used the hillside as a horse pasture. The true father of the botanical garden was Luigi Giussani, industrialist and founder of the Monteforno steelworks in Bodio in the Leventina Valley. After purchasing the property in 1957, Giussani cleared the existing woodland and planted the first azaleas and rhododendrons -- species perfectly suited to the acidic soil and rainy climate of this hillside. Upon his death, the property passed to UBS, which in 1997 donated it to the Lugano Tourist Board, ensuring that this extraordinary garden would remain open for all to enjoy.
