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Mother and daughter on Lake Garda

2 Connected lush properties on Lake Garda - Italy

In the 1970s, when in her twenties, the German journalist Christiane (Jane) Ross and her then husband bought a piece of land on a steep slope high above the western shore of Lake Garda in northern Italy. The house which stood on the property was in poor condition and the intention to initially use it as a holiday home only meant that it was ok for the restoration to be a slow process. Bit by bit the house was repaired, improved and enlarged so that Jane decided some 30 years ago to turn her back on Germany and live by the lake full time. The idea to create a garden in this beautiful and difficult spot became her driving passion. Terraces had to be cut into the steep slopes and the garden today is part formal Italian Parterres and part kitchen garden keeping Jane and her family in fruit and vegetables all year round. The property is shared with her daughter Anna-Katharina who is a widely published German writer and novelist. Anna-Katharina has her own house below that of her mother and she also has made Lake Garda her main residence which she shares with her 2 children. Mother and daughter, each in their own house, live a quiet and remote life which is dedicated to reading and writing. Gardening provides the physical balance to an intellectual life. The interiors of their respective houses are not dissimilar, they are inspired by the 19th century and are marked by strong colours and an abundant lushness and a total denial of minimalism.