Perhaps no exhibit at Bellagio Conservatory and Botanical Gardens has had as direct of a connection to the property's beginnings as Giardino Dell’ Amore, or has had as effectively dramatic lighting design. The display, created by designer Ed Libby for spring, resembles a lush, lavish European garden with floral sculptures, bronze statuary on round marble bases and a garden table served by adjacent restaurants Sadelle’s Café and Michael Mina (available for reservations).
Libby ensures there is a story behind each item. “It’s never just a tree,” says Lea Jonic, Conservatory manager, on a mid-March Tuesday morning tour through Giardino Dell’ Amore (Garden of Love). “There’s life represented in the citrus, or renewed energy by the sun. When he designs the lighting scheme, there’s a story he’s trying to tell, whether it be a vibrant, yellow moving pattern on the sun to really let that energy shine through or moonlight reflecting off of trees in the gazebo.”
Attention to light and shade creates different moods for different times of the day. Natural light best brings out the vibrancy of the color combinations for the four floral heart arches consisting of some 24,000 roses, which creates a tunnel of love in the East Bed. A bronze fountain adorned with vessel-carrying maidens and instrument-playing cherubs creates a roundabout at the tunnel’s center.
It’s a good place to get a view of the North Bed’s citrus tree and anthropomorphized sun shining above the koi pond and its finned inhabitants. The scent of orange blossom melds with the scene of fruit-bearing trees reflecting its share of the color spectrum back at the sun. “Volare” may be playing on the sound system, or perhaps “Time to Say Goodbye,” while a backdrop of high-definition video screens shows visuals of fountains and flowing waters that complement the physical setting.
Photo by: Courtesy of MGM Resorts International
The end of the tunnel leads to the West Bed, where a pair of influencers wearing gowns that match the pink and blue flowers of Giardino Dell’ Amore enjoy brunch from Sadelle’s at Garden Table. Michael Mina provides seafood selections for dinner, when the abundance of rich purple wisteria becomes the dominant hue of the evening setting. Two large cherub statues sentry the gazebo and European-style fountain, while a large pair of lovebirds float nearby.
The South Bed is nothing short of a work of art, with a dream boat seemingly abandoned by its passengers right after popping the cork on a bottle of champagne. It could be a scene from Lake Como, the inspiration for the design of Bellagio, or the literal interpretation of love, Italian-style.
Just beyond the West Bed is The Flower Prince, a self-portrait by artist Martine Gutiérrez, ensconced in a floral frame. It’s part of the spring-themed In Bloom exhibit at Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art, where the team that created Giardino Dell’ Amore fashioned a floral foyer that creates the feeling of entering another world.
For now, the Conservatory and Botanical Gardens feels like a world of romance with European-accented flair, which is the next best thing to being there.
Bellagio, 702.693.7111
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