This park gives you the opportunity of taking an extraordinary trip in time and space where past and present history and nature tend to come together harmoniously.

A Greek temple on the shores of Lake Lugano, next to a Siamese teahouse or an Egyptian temple? Monuments of different periods and cultures are to be found at “The Scherrer Monument-Park” in Morcote along the Cantonal road, about 300 m after the town, in the direction of Figino. This park gives you the unique opportunity of taking an extraordinary trip in time and space, where past and present, history and nature tend to come together harmoniously.
This “heavenly” park (as it was defined by the Aga Khan), is set at the feet of Mount Arbòstora, on the Lake’s shores.
The area has a particularly mild climate, since it is protected from the cold winds and faces the South; there is an admirable view of the Italian gulf of Lake Ceresio, of the hills of Varese and of the Po’ Valley. Until seventy years ago, the slopes were cultivated with vineyards; there were chestnut trees and an old house with a stable stood by the lake.
In 1930, Hermann Arthur Scherrer, a rich textile merchant with the passion for art, bought the house and one hectare of land uphill. After several years of hard work, slopes and terraces were covered in cypresses, camellias, camphor and eucalyptus trees, cedars araucarias, palms and bamboo woods, all these being exotic and oriental plants that Scherrer had admired during his travels abroad.
Many plants are still labelled with their scientific name.
Inspired by oriental landscapes and culture, Scherrer didn’t just limit himself to reproducing the fascinating vegetation of that world but wanted the garden also to contain the great works of art of oriental sculpture and architecture.

[Via myswitzerland.com website]