In the heart of the old town of La Orotava, a few steps from the town hall and the Liceo de Taoro, the Jardines Victoria — also known as the Jardines del Marquesado de la Quinta Roja — tumble down the slope in seven terraces. At the top stands a small white marble temple: a masonic mausoleum commissioned in the late 19th century for Diego Ponte del Castillo, 8th Marquis of Quinta Roja. The garden has been municipal property since 1991 and listed as a Bien de Interés Cultural, in the historic garden category, since 2003.
Good to know: entry is free and the garden is open every day. Come in the late afternoon: the light is softer on the marble and, on a clear day, the panorama from the top runs from old La Orotava to the sea, with Teide behind.
When Diego Ponte del Castillo died in 1880, the Church first refused him a Christian burial because he was a freemason. His mother, Sebastiana del Castillo, responded by commissioning a mausoleum and terraced gardens on the grounds of the family home. The French architect and freemason Adolphe Coquet, from Lyon, designed the whole, completed around 1883–1884; the marble of the little temple was also imported from Lyon. The marquis was eventually buried in the cemetery and the mausoleum has remained empty — in effect a monument against religious intolerance.
The garden rises in seven terraces linked by stairs: geometric flower beds, fountains, palms, cycads, clipped hedges and flower borders, in a romantic late-19th-century design. At the highest point, the mausoleum is a small white marble building with eight Corinthian columns; the door bears an omega, the name of Diego Ponte del Castillo runs along the lintel, framed by funeral wreaths and a coat of arms.
The family home later became the Hotel Victoria, which gave the garden its common name. In 1991 the house and gardens passed to the municipality of La Orotava; the listing as a Bien de Interés Cultural, historic garden category, followed in 2003. From the highest point the view takes in the old town of La Orotava, the Valle de la Orotava and the sea, and reaches Teide (3,718 m) on a clear day.
Opening hours: Monday to Friday 9:00 – 20:00; Saturday, Sunday and public holidays 9:30 – 20:30.
Price: free entry.
Access: via the Plaza de la Constitución or Calle León; a few steps between the terraces (prams possible but awkward on some). Toilets near the mausoleum.
Address: Plaza de la Constitución / Calle San Agustín / Calle Tomás Pérez, 38300 La Orotava (northern Tenerife). Altitude about 360 m.
Combine with: Liceo de Taoro, the Plaza de la Constitución and the old town of La Orotava.