Colorful giants rise from an Italian hillside: an artist's incredible garden

The Tarot Garden is located at Garavicchio, near Pescia Fiorentina, in the municipality of Capalbio, in the province of Grosseto, in southern Tuscany. It is set on a hill: the visit takes place among monumental sculptures that appear along a path, rather than in a gallery in the center of a village. The place therefore lends itself well to a stop by car in the Maremma, but it is less simple to integrate into an itinerary that relies solely on public transport.

Public transport in this area is scarce, and the article recommends coming by car. If you are staying in Capalbio or on the Etruscan Coast, concretely check travel options to Garavicchio before booking your accommodation or setting an entry time. Don’t assume that a train or bus will drop you near the garden, or that a taxi will be available when needed: these details are not guaranteed here and must be arranged separately. Also allow extra time to reach the site and find the entrance, especially if you have reserved a time slot. The garden is in the countryside, and the last leg of the journey deserves planning rather than improvisation. For an excursion from Capalbio, the car therefore remains the most direct and easiest option to coordinate with the rest of your day.

Plan for about an hour and a half on site, as an indication, to discover the Tarot Garden. This duration allows you to tour the site without turning the visit into a simple pass in front of the works. The figures are monumental and covered with mosaics, ceramics, and mirrors: taking the time to observe them up close, then looking at them from a distance, is part of the experience. Some sculptures far exceed the size of a visitor, and a few reach about 12 to 15 meters. The route is discovered progressively on the hill, as forms emerge among the trees.

The actual duration will depend on your pace, your interest in the work of Niki de Saint Phalle, and the time spent before each arcana. No visit order is imposed: you can follow the path and stop when the details of a figure intrigue you. Add to the time spent in the garden the necessary margin for the trip to Garavicchio and to respect the reserved entry time. If you come late in the day, keep in mind that the last entry is indicated around 6:15 PM for the usual hours mentioned, but they remain to be verified for the season of your trip. For a pleasant outing, it is better to avoid fitting the visit between two overly tight appointments and to then plan time to reach Capalbio or continue your discovery of the Maremma.

The Tarot Garden brings together monumental figures inspired by the 22 major arcana of tarot, imagined by the Franco-American artist Niki de Saint Phalle. Along the route, you can spot in particular the Pope, the Magician, also called the Juggler, the Wheel of Fortune, Justice, the Tower, Death, the Sun, the Hanged Man, and the Lovers. The sculptures are covered with bright colors, mirrors, mosaics, and ceramics. By circling them, you see reflections change with viewing angle and light, making the discovery different from a flat work seen from the front in a museum.

The Empress is the habitable figure in which Niki de Saint Phalle lived during the creation of the garden. It is therefore the one you can enter, depending on the access conditions in force during your visit. The route begins with a monumental entrance designed by Mario Botta, then the sculptures appear one by one on the ground. There is no imposed order to read the arcana: you can move at your own pace and simply follow the path. To enjoy the details, take time to look at the surfaces up close, then step back to grasp the scale of each figure. The garden is a work to walk through, not just a series of sculptures to photograph from a single point.

You don’t need to know tarot to appreciate the Tarot Garden. The sculptures are first discovered through their size, colors, and materials: figures covered with mirrors, mosaics, and ceramics, they catch the eye even if you don’t yet know which arcana they correspond to. The whole was designed around the 22 major arcana, but the route doesn’t impose a reading in a specific order. You can therefore enter without preparation and let the forms awaken your curiosity, then look for the names of the figures as you go.

Knowing a few landmarks, however, gives more depth to the experience. The project is that of Niki de Saint Phalle, who devoted many years to transforming this hill in Garavicchio into an artistic environment. The land was reportedly lent in 1978, construction reportedly began in 1979, and the garden opened to the public on May 15, 1998. Sources don’t always agree on the exact duration of the work, described as having lasted nearly two decades. You can also keep in mind that Jean Tinguely collaborated on certain pieces and that the entrance bears the signature of Mario Botta. A few landmarks are enough: no need to review tarot before going. The interest is precisely to encounter the figures in the landscape, then complete your reading by observing the details of each work.

Yes, the Tarot Garden can be integrated into a day devoted to Capalbio and the Maremma, provided you don’t multiply stops to the point of turning the outing into a race. Allow about an hour and a half on site for the garden, not forgetting travel time from your accommodation and the margin needed to enter at the scheduled time. The site is located at Garavicchio, in the municipality of Capalbio, and public transport is scarce: organizing travel in advance, ideally by car, makes sequencing visits easier.

You can plan the garden as the main stop, then spend the rest of the day discovering Capalbio or stopping at Lake Burano, mentioned as an extension idea in the surroundings. The order depends on your entry time and the season, but it’s better to check the garden’s hours before building the whole itinerary around it. The site usually closes from November to March, and the announced hours for the opening period are to be confirmed, especially for 2027. If you stay in an authentic Maremma accommodation or on the Etruscan Coast, also ask how much time to plan to reach Garavicchio and whether a car is necessary from that address. A successful day leaves space between stops: take time to walk the garden, then choose only one other visit rather than accumulating detours.