Monty Don travels through northern Italy to discover how plants, trade, wealth, and spectacle transformed the country’s gardens. From Padua’s historic botanical garden and the merchant villas of the Veneto and Lucca to Lake Como’s rival plant collections and the extraordinary terraces of Isola Bella, he explores a world shaped by rare plants and bold ambition. This journey reveals how northern Italy moved from formal display to a passionate age of plant collecting, ending in one of the most theatrical gardens Monty has ever seen.,