Europe > Spain > Galicia > Palace Gardens

Galician Palace Gardens

ABOVE: A statue guards a boatlike island in the Pazo de Oca's pond.

By Durant Imboden

In the Spanish region of Galicia, a pazo is a privately-owned palace with three essential elements:

• A noble family's coat of arms;

• A private chapel dedicated to a Galician saint or saints;

• A garden with oaks and cypresses.

In the countryside around Santiago de Compostela, two such pazos are open to visitors: the Pazo de Oca near Ourense, and the Pazo Santa Cruz de Rivadulla close by.

Both are worth seeing if you're a gardening enthusiast, and one--the Pazo de Oca--deserves a visit even if your hobbies don't include horticulture.

Next page: Pazo de Oca

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