Two kilometres above Tellaro, inside the regional park of Montemarcello-Magra, this small botanical garden is laid out along a ridge of Mediterranean macchia with views down to the Gulf of La Spezia on one side and the Magra valley on the other. It is a working preserve more than a manicured garden: rosemary, juniper, holm oak, strawberry tree and several rare endemics grow on terraces along a marked loop.
Combine it with the village of Montemarcello itself, a quiet hilltop hamlet laid out on a Roman grid, where the trattorias are cheaper and less rushed than the seafront in Tellaro and Lerici. The whole trip takes a long morning on foot from the village, or fifteen minutes by car.