The Borges Labyrinth

Walking Tours of Venice

The Borges Labyrinth, Island of San Giorgio Maggiore

---

Venice was one of Jorge Luis Borges' favourite cities. The maze-like layout of its narrow streets seems to have appealed to the writer's imagination. 

In 2011, to mark the 25th anniversary of the death of the celebrated Argentinian writer, the Fondazione Cini commissioned the reconstruction of a labyrinth which Randoll Coate (1909-2005), self-styled labyrinthologist, had designed in the 1980s in honour of Jorge Luis Borges (1899-1986). 

Coate's labyrinth, which was inspired by The Garden of Forking Paths, one of Borges' best-known stories, comprises three kilometres of boxwood hedges and replicates an open book. The book is inscribed with Borges' name and its mirror image. In addition there is a walking stick, an hourglass, a tiger and a question mark, all symbols dear to the writer.