DANTE’S VIEW

For visitors, it’s an oasis. For Charlie Turner, above, it’s love. In the hills of Griffith Park, a short but healthy hike up from the observatory, Dante’s View is a half-acre garden of magnolias and eucalyptus nurtured daily by the 81-year-old Turner. Twenty years ago, a Brazilian-born Italian named Dante Orgolini decided to cultivate a patch of unkempt city acreage as a hobby. The garden survives because Turner, a friend and a fellow gardener, decided that Orgolini should have a memorial--and that Los Angeles residents should have a secret place of honeysuckle, squirrels, quail and pines. And an astonishing view. For more information, telephone the Griffith Park Ranger Station at (213) 665-5188.