ISOLA DI BRISSAGO
The Island of San Pancrazio, the larger of the two islands of Brissago, and the only one open to visitors, was transformed in 1885 into a beautiful exotic garden by Richard and Antoinette St. Leger, who built a series of paths and avenues and planted numerous subtropical species. The property was then owned for a short period by the industrialist Max Emden, until 1949 when it was acquired by the Ticino Canton. The state then turned the garden into the "Botanical Park of Ticino", in recognition of its immense horticultural and historical value. The park covers an area of 2.5 hectares and has a collection of over 1,500 plant species from the Mediterranean, subtropical Asia, South Africa, the Americas and Oceania.
