Historical, with Two Names, Masonic and Very Steep

If today I propose some gardens with a long history, although very transformed nowadays.

Today we are going to the Canary Islands, specifically to a town in Tenerife, La Orotava. In this beautiful municipality, we find these steep Victoria gardens, or the gardens of the Marchioness of Quinta Roja.

Until the 20th century, this place was part of the palace of the Marchioness of Quinta Roja, it changed hands, transformed into a hotel, and currently, the space has become municipal property, being for public use and enjoyment.

It is a terraced garden with 7 levels, and at the top, there is a mausoleum intended to be the final resting place of one of its former owners. It seems to contain Masonic symbols as the Marquis was part of this secret society. Upon the death of the then Marquis, the church threatened not to bury him in the cemetery; therefore, under these circumstances, his family erected a mausoleum. In the end, he was buried in the cemetery, and the mausoleum did not serve as the noble's final resting place.

It seems that, after this mournful event, the family allowed the use of the space for various events related to gardening or horticulture.

The garden currently looks very modified; it has lost much of its original elements (it was designed by a Frenchman, also a Mason, so it is assumed that the entire garden would have meanings that the initiated would know). There used to be buildings, collections of plants from different parts of the world...

Be that as it may, the current garden looks well-maintained; we can access it from the lower part and ascend steps from terrace to terrace or from the upper part through one of the higher terraces from where there are incredible views. (There are opening and closing hours.) During my visit, the flowerbeds, hedges, and meadows were well-kept, there were numerous flowers, and the pavements made of pebbles formed patterns... Non-vegetative elements include, of course, the stairs, the mausoleum that presides over the garden from above, and some fountains (a bit bland for my taste).

Oh, one more note. Very close by is the Hijuela del Botánico, an "extension" of the acclimatization garden of La Orotava located in S. Cruz de Tenerife.