Alupka, Crimea, Ukraine - Vorontsov's Palace and Park in Alupka
The Palace is built of diabase, merging visually with the colour of the Crimean mountains and looking like and integral part of the surrounding landscape.
The south part of the Palace is enhanced by an Italian (regular) park. Lovely fountains, among them the Fountain of Tears (a version of the Fountain of Bakhchisarai), The Shell and marble twin fountains, gladden the eye.
But the main adornment is a grand staircase, the Lion Terrace with three pairs of lions: sleeping, awakening and vigilant, executed in the studio of the Italian sculptor V.Bonanni. The terrace descends from the so-called "Alhambra", the central portal of the south front.
The Palace has a unique museum collection. Of great interest is the interior decor: Small and Blue reception rooms, the formal study, the dining hall, the library, and the winter garden with marvellous sculptures.
