The Tarot Garden, the sculpture garden created by Niki de Saint Phalle in Tuscany between 1978 and 2002, is one of the world’s 50 most beautiful gardens, says Tim Richardson of the Weekly Telegraph:
“Monumental figures, wittily realised in the artist’s trademark bright colours, amorphous shapes and mosaic-work, many of which also serve as pavilions or small buildings, were based on tarot cards. The artist lived inside The Empress for a number of years. The interior has to be seen to be believed. … The integrity of the artist shines out and one can only wonder at the sustained obsessional energy required to make it. One interesting aspect of the garden is that the pieces have been deliberately placed close together — crammed in, almost — so that the whole space can be experienced in one sustained gulp.”