French artist Niki de Saint Phalle met both her master and her destiny when she first visited Barcelona’s Park Güell in 1955. Impressed by the works of Antonio Gaudi, she knew she, too, was destined to create a magical garden of joy. In 1978, she began laying out her Giardino dei Tarocchi, also known as the Tarot Garden, on a friend’s estate in Tuscany. It took nearly 17 years for Niki to complete the 22 monumental sculptures, which are each made of mirrors, glass, ceramic and stone and represent the 22 Major Arcana cards within the Tarot deck. What a sight, huh? Definitely a place to visit while in Tuscany . . .

(images via Foursquare, Tuscany Pictures & Marco’s Photography Blog)