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Re: Gardens in Naples area

Dear Doug, at 09:10 PM 3/31/97 PST, you wrote:

>My mom and I will indeed be touring Italy, beginning on April 22.  

Finally you decided: that's wonderful! 

If you stay long enough in the Naples-Sorrento area, you may want to
consider taking a ferry boat and go to the islands. They are really
beautiful. In Capri island, you can visit the gardens at Villa San Michele
(village of Anacapri), which was done by the swedish writer Axel Munthe on
the exact spot of a roman Imperial villa, high on a hill overlooking the
sea. Therefore it hosts a collection of antiquities. Besides this, the
garden has a permanent exhibition of flora of the island, lovely vistas of
the sea, and is all med. plants. Another interesting garden in this island
is the Certosa di San Giacomo, at Capri village. The garden looks onto the
world famous "Faraglioni" (sea rocks). 

In the other island, Ischia, at Forio village, there's a Russel Page garden,
that belongs to Lady Walton, and has a remarkable collection of plants (both
med and exotics) among volcanic rocks and pools. Worth a visit!
Telephone at 081 (area code) 986220 to check opening times.

In Naples, at Via Foria, 223, there's an interesting University bot. garden.
Palms and cacti are their best collection, but also the citrus garden, some
huge camellias and australian plants. Still in Naples, try to go to the
unknown Giardino Sicca (tel. 081/441.303 for an appointment) if you are
interested in acid loving plants (from Magnolias and camellias to rhodos).
It's very pretty.

All the Naples area was once covered with villas, but most of them are now
in terrible neglect conditions, and even if they have been restored, their
gardens are disappointing. Don't loose your time there. As for Reggia di
Caserta...the building is huge, with wonderful furniture and paintings. The
garden was inspired by Versailles, so it's a huge park, more than a garden,
with formal avenues, gigantic fountains on axis, waterfall etc. It has a so
called "English" garden, more romantic and informal, with interesting trees.
Go there, if you like, but don't expect a "garden" in the domestic sense of
the world. Go to the other royal palace, in Naples, at Capodimonte, for
another nice park and a wonderful collection of paintings.

In the Sorrento area you will find some interesting things; besides, it's
one of the most beautiful coasts of all Italy. First of all, do notice the
peculiar way lemon trees are trained on pergolas. A very good liquer, called
Limoncello, is produced from these lemons and you have to taste it (icy) in
a Sorrento bar.
At Sorrento, I was told that  the Museum Correale, formerly a Villa, has a
nice garden (but I have not seen it). At Ravello (another village), the
famous garden Villa Cimbrone, has a wonderful terrace on the sea and exotic
plants.
Still at Ravello, Villa Rufolo was a xiii century garden and still has ruins
of the time. Here the composer Wagner found inspiration for his Parsifal
opera. It is really wort a visit. 

This should fill your  five days... Try the seafood, of course. And DO eat
pizza in Naples. Nothing else you have tasted in your life can be compared
to the real, original pizza. And eat pasta, and drink coffee, and order
pastry. They are really superb. A very good white  wine in that area is
Greco di Tufo, and Fiano di Avellino as well. What else? Do not buy anyhting
that is offered  to you outside of  real shops. It will be a fake, or a
stolen thing if you are lucky. Bring sunglasses, and consider one full day
for visiting Pompei (they have restored some gardens in the Roman villas
there...so interesting!). 

After careful consideration, I decided to post this to the Med. list, even
if I have packed their computers with messages recently. It could be helpful
for someone else.

Doug, let me know if you need anyhting else, and enjoy your tour! Take my
tel. number, as well, just in case you want to contact me when you are in
Rome...

Ciao
Alessandra Vinciguerra
American Academy in Rome
Via Masina,5
00153 Roma
Tel:0039\6\5846.444
library@librs6k.vatlib.it
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