The Tarot Garden — Attraction in Capalbio

One can have a fruitful and interesting discussion on how the artist whose works are displayed and define the garden has interpreted the figures of the Major Arcana (I personally found them skewed dangerously towards the wrong side of 'naif', never quite lending a distinctive enough stamp on the archetypes beyond some flaky idea of 'childlike wonder'). But that's all academic once the experience is marred apriori by an incredibly rude ticket booth clerk. He not only refused to give a student discount to one of our friends on the flimsiest of pretexts -- the date on the required document was too 'smudged' for his liking, apparently -- but even resorting to downright insults when challenged, claiming that he was right to discriminate against "people like us", whichever category "we", apparently, belong to. The worst part of it is that this could all have been easily avoided: if you're that keen on refusing a discount, just chalk it up to the 'rules and regulations', smile and apologise. That would have been enough. But...

Niki de Saint Phalle's Tarot Garden is absolutely magic! As a professional tarot reader, this felt like a pilgrimage for me, but I would think that anyone with an interest in sculpture and colour and over-the-top creativity would love it.

The price is very reasonable considering the fabulousness of the place and the obvious care in maintaining the garden. The staff were so friendly - I felt very welcome there. I enjoyed it so much I spent at least 3 hours there, and then I went back the following day and spent another 3 hours!

I highly recommend going there, and do take your time if possible - soak it all up as much as you can. There are so many nooks & crannies and little details. If you can, learn about the story of the garden as well and how it was built so that you can fully appreciate what an extraordinary place this is. I am so grateful that I got to go, and I hope to return...

This place was on my bucket list and I'm not disappointed! Truly a magical place. A beautiful sculpture garden by the great artist Niki de Saint phalle. There was a entrance fee around 10€, they have student and people-over-65 discount. Many great sculptures in the garden which some of them you can enter, like the one Niki lived in when she build the park. There was a bit crowded with a lot of kids running around but if you're lucky you'll get some time of your own in the sculptures. By the exit they had a small shop you could by the niki-tarot, t-shirts, books, plates and so. No restaurants nearby but a small ice-cream shop on the...