Tuscan Tarot

Digging up fresh Trufflepig dirt often takes me from my Tuscan mountaintop to Rome, down the coastal Aurelia road (whose condition has not improved much since it was built by the Roman censor Aurelius Cotta in the third century BC). Whenever possible, I make a small detour to the Tarot Garden, the astonishing sculpture park set in the Maremma hills above the Tyrrhenian Sea, created by artist Niki de Saint Phalle.

A series of monumental sculptures laid out on a hillside amongst the Tuscan macchia scrub, not far from the Argentario Peninsula, the park is based on the 21 cards of the Tarot. Saint Phalle constructed the garden during a period of over 30 years, much of which she spent actually living on site with her husband, Dada artist Jean Tinguely. The Tarot Garden is a testament to rampant creativity, patiently assembled with myriad shards of coloured glass, creating a beautiful and dazzling artistic environment. It is well worth the detour—but come prepared to have your Tuscan Tarot cards read, and to confront the Empress, the Hanged Man, the Hierophant, Death, and, quite possibly, the ghost of Aurelius Cotta.

The Tarot Garden is open afternoons only, from April 1st to October 15th.

Rudston is our expert Italy planner, with more international adventures under his belt than any tarot reader ever could have predicted.